The construction industry relies on a vibrant economy that is continually innovating and expanding so that builders and contractors may do the same. From the perspective of an individual’s small business to an entire industry, and the many levels in between, the President’s new health care law is reverberating throughout the economy, and in many cases, making the environment more challenging rather than more affordable.

The Administration and others involved with implementing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) have recently made an effort to reduce some of these challenges. Specifically, the enrollment period to sign up for ACA coverage was recently extended to coincide with tax season so that individuals who were penalized this year could still sign up for health care and avoid paying a penalty for not having coverage next year. As a result, many Americans will avoid this added ACA fee.

While this is certainly good news for individual consumers, small businesses are still waiting for similar consideration from their elected officials. The growing costs of health care have been falling directly on the shoulders of small business owners since 2014.

The small business health insurance tax, or HIT, is one such contributor to those costs. Disguised within the ACA as a fee on insurance companies, it is actually a direct tax on small businesses. That is because the HIT only applies to insurers offering coverage to the fully insured market, where almost 90 percent of small businesses purchase coverage. As a result, insurers are passing these costs on to small business owners and their employees in the form of higher premiums. In fact, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found the tax will collect $11 billion from small businesses in 2015 alone. Over the next decade, the costs will increase to the tune of $159 billion and will only rise in the years that follow.

What does that mean for an average family employed by a small business? According to an analysis by former CBO Director Douglas Holtz-Eakin, these families will pay $5,000 in higher premiums in just ten years.

This outrageous tax falls directly on the backs of those working to build the infrastructure of our country, from our neighbor’s home renovation to a new city block, growth is being threatened. In fact, the HIT means imminent job loss. The National Federation of Independent Business Research Foundation found that by 2023, as many as 286,000 private sector jobs could be lost, with 57 percent of those losses falling on small business.

Fortunately, in Congress some are listening. Bills have been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate that could provide much needed relief for small business owners by repealing the HIT. Senators John Barrasso (R-WY) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) introduced the Jobs and Premium Protection Act 2015 and are joined by nearly 30 of their colleagues in support for repealing the tax. Similar legislation was introduced in the House by Representatives Charles Boustany (R-LA) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and has significant support from both sides of the aisle with almost 200 bipartisan cosponsors.

These bills are a well-intentioned step toward providing meaningful considerations for small business, but the verdict is still out. Will action be taken in Washington to help small businesses with the overwhelming cost of health care? Repealing the HIT would certainly help.