GOVERNMENTAssociation health plan bill touted as aid to uninsuredOpponents argue that deregulating AHPs could leave patients with inadequate coverage.By Joel B. Finkelstein, amednews staff. Feb. 24, 2003. Washington -- Legislation to federally regulate association health plans would undermine important state protections, such as physician prompt-pay laws and health plan external appeal requirements, several policy experts have warned. Association health plans are currently regulated by state laws, making it difficult for them to operate across state lines. The legislation, which was introduced on Feb. 11, would shift oversight to the Dept. of Labor and subject AHPs to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. However, many states have much tougher insurance laws than ERISA and are better regulators of health plans than the federal government, some analysts said. Opponents of the bills argue that removing state oversight will leave many patients with inadequate coverage. The small-business community has rallied around AHP legislation as a method for more employers to offer health insurance to their workers by giving them buying power similar to that of large companies. "Association health plans will allow small business owners to band together across state lines ... to purchase health care for their families and employees," said National Federation of Independent Business President Jack Faris, during a recent Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship hearing. Sen. Olympia J. Snowe (R, Maine), chair of that committee, said that the bill would also help the uninsured -- close to two-thirds of whom work for small businesses or are self-employed. [...]Full text of American Medical News content is available to AMA members and paid subscribers.
Copyright 2003 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
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