Association Health Plan Legislation Unacceptable, Says American Chiropractic Association
Posted on: Tuesday, 14 March 2006, 12:00 CST
ARLINGTON, Va., March 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) today expressed its strong opposition to proposed legislation that would deregulate the health insurance market and gut state patient protection laws. As a result, millions of patients could find themselves without crucial health benefits, including preventive health screenings.
The bill, S. 1955, also known as the "Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act," attempts to expand health care access and reduce insurance costs through the creation of small business health plans. Small business health plans, often called association health plans, or AHPs, offer insurance coverage purchased through guilds on behalf of the small businesses that make up their memberships.
However, if passed, the bill would take the unprecedented path of preempting state insurance laws. As a result, insurance companies and small business owners, instead of locally elected policymakers, would decide the benefits that consumers should have when they purchase health care. States would have no recourse to protect residents and they would lose their incentives to enact laws in the future.
"S. 1955 would thwart years of state efforts to ensure that consumers have adequate health insurance coverage, including chiropractic," said ACA President Richard G. Brassard, DC. "As important as expanding health insurance coverage is, particularly in the small business market, it is also important for such coverage to reliably secure patients' healthcare services."
Moreover, S. 1955 also would preempt stronger state laws that limit the ability of insurers to vary premiums based on health status, age, gender and geography. For many older Americans and those with complex health needs and disabilities, this would price them out of the health insurance market.
"As it's currently written, this bill is simply unacceptable. Should this legislation steam-roll through the Senate, Capitol Hill will have done this country a great disservice," Dr. Brassard said.
The American Chiropractic Association is the nation's leading chiropractic organization representing more than 15,000 doctors of chiropractic and their patients. For more information, visit http://www.acatoday.org/.
American Chiropractic Association
CONTACT: Angela Kargus or Felicity Feather Clancy of AmericanChiropractic Association, +1-703-276-8800
Web site: http://www.acatoday.com/
Source: PRNewswire
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