Ignagni Testifies on Capitol Hill Regarding Health Care Options for Small Businesses
WASHINGTON, March 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Karen Ignagni, President and CEO of America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) testified before the U.S. House Committee on Small Business today regarding health insurance coverage for small businesses. Ignagni presented an overview of the small group health insurance market and discussed different policy options to help small businesses offer quality, affordable health insurance coverage to their employees.
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“Health insurers are committed to improving health care choices for small businesses and bringing costs under control for all Americans,” Ignagni said. “Small businesses play a vital role in our economy and we must continue to pursue policies that will lower the burden small business owners face everyday to provide health care coverage for their employees.”
According to Ignagni, providing access to health care coverage to uninsured Americans continues to be the number one domestic policy issue facing the nation. “Failure to take any action at all would be the most expensive course of action for the entire care system — including small businesses — due to the cost shifting that is associated with uncompensated care for the uninsured,” she told the legislators.
Last November, AHIP released a detailed proposal to provide access to health care coverage for 46 million uninsured Americans. In addition, AHIP has been an active member of the Health Coverage Coalition for the Uninsured (HCCU), a diverse group of stakeholders calling for broad reforms to expand access to health coverage for the uninsured.
Ignagni also discussed innovative strategies and initiatives health insurance plans have implemented to control health costs, enhance choices, and improve quality. This includes advances in pharmacy benefit management, evidence-based medicine, comparative effectiveness, disease management, transparency, value-based purchasing, health information technology, generic biopharmaceuticals, and post-market surveillance.
“Health insurance plans have been working aggressively to improve quality and control costs, while also meeting consumer demands for choice,” she said. “We look forward to working with federal and state legislators to identify workable strategies to achieve these goals.”
America’s Health Insurance Plans — Providing Health Benefits to More Than
200 Million Americans
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America’s Health Insurance Plans
CONTACT: Mohit Ghose of America’s Health Insurance Plans,+1-202-778-8494
Web site: http://www.ahip.org/