Sen. Conrad's Health Insurance Co-Ops Won't Provide Affordable Care and Could be Used by the Insurance Industry Against Americans, Says Consume...(would have also extended the Employee Re...),Health

Date:8/18/2009

would have also extended the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) exemption from state common law to any company that sells these bare bones plans. If health insurers inappropriately denied claims, policyholders would be unable to collect damages. Enzi's measure, S. 1995--the so-called "Association Health Plan" legislation--failed in the Senate in 2006, but Enzi continues to show strong interest in reviving it.

Enzi's bill (S.1955), like Conrad's co-ops, was touted as a way to insure more people but would in fact have eroded existing coverage for those who already had health insurance. Under it, any HMO or insurer could ignore state patient protections, courts and regulators to sell "junk" health insurance.

Shifting the Burden to the Middle Class

All of the bills being considered in Congress require Americans to buy private insurance policies. The fragmented co-ops, with a few possible large-state exceptions like California, would not be capable of protecting their customers from the worst insurance company abuses, including double-digit premium increases and other steady cost-shifting onto the middle class. Any effort by states to band together in regional alliances would raise a demand by insurers to be exempted from any state patient protections or controls.

Only a national public option would have the clout to bargain with providers and bypass the insurance companies altogether.

(1) See Elliot K. Wicks, Health Insurance Purchasing Cooperatives, Issue Brief, The Commonwealth Fund, November 2002, page 3-4.

(2) Id.

(3) Jacob S. Hacker, Ph.D., Case for Public Plan Choice in National Health Reform, Institute for America's Future & U.C. Berkeley School of Law, December 2008, page 5.

(4) Robert Pear and Gardiner Harris, Alternate Plan as Health Option Muddies Debate, New York Times,
'/>"/>

SOURCE Consumer Watchdog Copyright©2009 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

1 GOOD

Page: 1 2 3 4
Related medicine news :

1. Women Speak Out Against Government Takeover of Health Care
2. Brooks Opens New Center for Back & Neck Health
3. Surgical Care Affiliates and Hawaii Pacific Health Partners, Inc. Complete Joint Venture
4. EwingCole, RDLA Join Together, Creating Architecture/Engineering Firm With Largest Healthcare Focus in the Delaware Valley
5. PetRelocation.com and PetMD.com Launch Co-Branded Pet Travel and Pet Health Resources
6. Healthy Advice Networks Is Recognized With National Health Information Awards for Sixth Consecutive Year
7. Arcadia Resources to Attend Barrington Research Healthcare Conference
8. HealthFitness Named Lead Integrator for MillerCoors Health Improvement Program
9. 7 Easy Tips for Healthy Aging
10. Availity Teams with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota to Improve Health Care Efficiencies
11. Union HealthShare Signs Multi-Year, Multi-Million Dollar Agreement with North Star Health