AMA adopts new policies on health insurance affordability

Physicians advocate to protect meaningful health insurance coverage for patients and promote stable health insurance premiums

HONOLULU — Patients must have meaningful coverage for hospital, surgical and medical care and protections against catastrophic expenses, according to physicians gathered at the Interim Meeting of the American Medical Association (AMA). Taking a step to ensure quality health insurance coverage for their patients, physicians voted to oppose weakening or removing any of the 10 categories of essential health benefits (EHB) required by the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

The new policy was recommended by a report from the AMA’s Council on Medical Service, which noted, “if insurers are allowed to offer plans with skimpier coverage, plan designs could potentially discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions. In addition, individuals who use services and benefits no longer included in the EHBs could face substantial increases in out-of-pocket costs.”