Viewing entries tagged with 'AHIP'
ICYMI: AHIP Letter to U.S. House on the Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962)
Posted by The Campaign on November 06, 2009 at 7:07 AM
Late yesterday, AHIP sent a letter to Speaker Pelosi and Republican Leader Boehner expressing concerns with the Affordable Health Care for America Act.
Please find a full link to the letter here.
ICYMI: AHIP Perspective: AHIP’s Robert Zirkelbach on Controlling Rising Health Care Costs
Posted by The Campaign on October 29, 2009 at 9:48 AM
AHIP’s Robert Zirkelbach in an article on out-of-pocket costs and rising health care costs:
"‘We don't believe a cap is the best way to control rising health care costs,’ said Robert Zirkelbach, a spokesman for America's Health Insurance Plans, the industry trade group. To curb high bills, he said, ‘policymakers need to address the underlying cost of medical care, which is the key driver of rising health care costs.’”
For the full article click here.
AHIP Statement on Affordable Health Care for America Act
Posted by The Campaign on October 29, 2009 at 12:26 AM
AHIP Statement on Affordable Health Care for America Act
Washington, D.C. – Karen Ignagni, President and CEO of America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), released the following statement today in response to the Affordable Health Care for America Act:
“The promise of health care reform has been that if you like your current coverage you can keep it. We are concerned that this proposal will break this promise by increasing health care costs for families and employers across the country and significantly disrupting the quality coverage that millions of people rely on today.
“The lack of system-wide cost containment is a missed opportunity. Without a greater focus on health care costs, families and employers will not be able to afford coverage and health care costs will rise at a rate much faster than the overall economy is able to sustain.
“We share the concerns that doctors, hospitals, employers, and patients have all raised about the significant disruption a new government-run plan would have on the current health care system. A new government-run plan would bankrupt hospitals, dismantle employer coverage, exacerbate cost-shifting from Medicare and Medicaid, and ultimately increase the federal deficit.
“Estimates show that a government-run plan would cause millions of people to lose their current coverage. Moreover, massive Medicare Advantage cuts would cause millions of seniors to lose their Medicare Advantage coverage altogether, while millions more would face benefit cuts and higher out-of-pocket costs.
“Health plans strongly support comprehensive, bipartisan health care reform and have proposed sweeping insurance market reforms and new consumer protections to ensure that every American has guaranteed access to affordable health care coverage. Experience in the states has shown that insurance market reforms must be paired with an effective personal coverage requirement for these reforms to work. While this legislation recognizes the key linkage of market reforms and a personal coverage requirement, more needs to be done to ensure coverage is affordable and our health care system is sustainable.
“As the process progresses, health plans will continue to work to advance bipartisan legislation this year that will cover all Americans, make coverage more affordable, and improve quality.”
ICYMI: Politico -- Ignagni defends maligned AHIP report
Posted by The Campaign on October 15, 2009 at 1:22 PM
Politico: Ignagni defends maligned AHIP report
Karen Ignagni, the president and CEO of America's Health Insurance Plans, defended the timing and findings of a much-maligned report on Thursday, warning a Senate panel that legislation passed out of the Finance committee this week could lead to "potential hyper-inflation" if everyone isn't required to participate.
Ignagni and AHIP provoked the scorn of Democrats at both end of Pennsylvania Avenue this week after releasing a report over the weekend that said health care premiums could rise significantly for most families under the Finance bill.
In her opening remarks, Ignagni said the group didn't approach audit firm PricewaterhouseCoopers to study the impact of the legislation until the end of September, after Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) reduced the penalties on people who don't participate. AHIP, which is concerned that reduced participation could lead to hyper-inflation in the health care market, received the report on Saturday and shared it with member organizations the following day, Ignagni said.
Despite all the blowback from Capitol Hill, Ignagni didn't back down from the report's overarching conclusion.
"Costs are going to go up for individuals and working families if we don't have everyone participate," Ignagni told members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
Her prepared remarks were even more direct: "This study confirms that the current legislation will make coverage less affordable for individuals, families and employers, and make it harder to get all Americans covered," Ignagni was set to say. "It shows that costs will go up even faster than they would under the current system."
Democrats on both sides of the Capitol ripped the group this week after the report was released, days before a critical vote on the Senate Finance Committee. But no one laid a glove on the AHIP president Thursday, after a stern warning at the outset of the hearing by Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski to keep everything civil.
ICYMI: AHIP's Karen Ignagni on the Need for an Effective Coverage Requirement
Posted by The Campaign on October 08, 2009 at 6:58 PM
"The consequences of this would be an upward spiral; rate shock to everyone who stays in. This legislation will fail the test of affordability for individuals."
--Karen Ignagni (The Washington Post, 10/09/09, Health Industry Concerned About Reform Measures)
For the full story, click here.
AHIP PERSPECTIVE: AHIP's Karen Ignagni on Reform
Posted by The Campaign on September 24, 2009 at 10:42 AM
AHIP's Karen Ignagni on reforming the health care system:
"You can build a uniquely American system based on the best of the private and public sectors."
(National Journal, Under the Influence, Ignagni: Bills Don't Make Health Care Affordable, 09/24/09)
AHIP's Perspective: AHIP's Karen Ignagni on Medical Costs and Premiums
Posted by The Campaign on September 24, 2009 at 6:35 AM
AHIP's Karen Ignagni on underlying medical costs and premiums:
"You can't restrain premiums unless you restrain medical costs."
(Los Angeles Times, Mandate minus price controls may increase healthcare costs, 09/23/09)
AHIP PERSPECTIVE: AHIP's Letter to the Senate Finance Committee
Posted by The Campaign on September 22, 2009 at 6:43 AM
AHIP sent a letter to the Senate Finance Committee outlining its thoughts on the Senate Finance Committee reform proposal.
Click here for the full letter.
MUST SEE TV: AHIP's Robert Zirkelbach on Bloomberg
Posted by The Campaign on September 17, 2009 at 7:40 AM
AHIP's Robert Zirkelbach discusses the latest health care reform proposal on Bloomberg.
Watch both parts below:
Part 1:
Part 2:
MUST SEE TV: AHIP's Mike Tuffin on Fox News Special Report Discussing the New Health Care Tax
Posted by The Campaign on September 17, 2009 at 7:36 AM
AHIP's Mike Tuffin on Fox News' Special Report where he discusses the plan to tax health benefits.
Watch it below:
