"Strange Bedfellows" Join Forces On Agreement For
Uninsured Americans
Nov 20, 2000
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NOVEMBER 20, 2000
CONTACT: RICHARD COORSH, HIAA (202) 824-1787, rcoorsh@hiaa.org
JOHN FAIRBANKS, Families USA (202) 628-3030, jfairbanks@familiesusa.org
ALICIA MITCHELL, AHA (202) 626-2339, amitchell@aha.org
Families USA, Health Insurance Association of America, and
American Hospital Association release plan to extend health coverage
to those most in need.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Countering a trend of increased political
acrimony and partisanship, three leading organizations with
divergent points of view in the health policy arena – the Health
Insurance Association of America (HIAA), Families USA, and the
American Hospital Association (AHA) – have joined forces to expand
health coverage for a substantial portion of America’s 43 million
uninsured.
"As organizations representing the breadth of the health care
community, we stand together to forge common ground to end the
gridlock over extending health care coverage to the uninsured
millions living in America today," according to a statement by the
three organizations.
Families USA, the national organization for health care
consumers, and HIAA, the national trade association representing
almost 300 insurance companies and health plans, battled over health
care reform in 1993-1994 and continue to fight over the issue of a
patients’ bill of rights. Yet over the last several months, the two
rivals set aside their differences and negotiated a three-part
proposal to significantly expand health insurance coverage. They
have been joined by the AHA, a not-for-profit association of health
care providers and individuals committed to health improvement of
their communities.
The organizations are calling for "common ground and coalesced
action as the debate on the uninsured begins," according to the
statement. "Political gridlock should no longer be an option in
dealing with America’s uninsurance epidemic," said Ron Pollack,
Executive Director of Families USA. "We must transcend partisan,
ideological, and interest-group boundaries to find common ground so
we can move towards health coverage for everyone."
"In the past, every group interested in extending coverage to the
uninsured held out for their favorite approach, and their second
choice always was the status quo," observed HIAA President Chip
Kahn. "As a result, nothing was accomplished. By coming together
now, HIAA, Families USA, and the AHA are saying we can get started
if we seek common ground."
"People often say that no one in Washington can agree. Today,
we're happy to prove them wrong," said Rick Pollack, AHA's executive
vice president. "With this step, we've laid a strong foundation we
hope to build upon to improve access and coverage for all."
The proposal focuses on low-wage workers and their families. Of
the 43 million uninsured Americans, slightly more than half (23
million) have annual incomes below 200 percent of the federal
poverty level. It contains the following elements:
- Medicaid would be expanded for all people under 65 years of
age with annual incomes below 133 percent of the federal poverty
level ($18,820 for a family of three). Eligibility would be based
strictly on income and would apply equally to parents, children,
and childless adults. This expansion would be subsidized with
enhanced federal matching funds well in excess of the current
Medicaid funding formula.
- As is currently done for children, states would be given the
option to provide coverage for parents and childless adults with
incomes between 133 and 200 percent of the federal poverty level
($28,300 for a family of three) through Medicaid or a program like
the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP). This
expansion also would be subsidized with enhanced federal matching
funds. Both the Medicaid and S-CHIP expansions would be developed
to ensure optimal enrollment of people newly eligible for
coverage.
- A non-refundable tax credit would be created to help
low-income workers who turn down employer-sponsored coverage
because they can’t afford their share of the premium. This credit
would be available to employers to help them defray the
out-of-pocket premium costs of employees with incomes between 133
and 200 percent of the federal poverty level. For example, if a
business currently pays 70 percent of the premiums for all workers
in the company, it would receive a tax credit to pay all or part
of the remaining premium for its low-income workers.
The three groups are working together to promote the proposal
among interest groups and policymakers, and will reach out to the
eventual President-Elect, the new Congress, and key stakeholder
organizations to achieve bipartisan cooperation resulting in the
enactment of expanded health coverage next year. They also
acknowledge that their proposal would require a significant public
investment.
"But – with the economy in good condition, the federal budget in
surplus, and state budgets in good shape as well – there never has
been a better time to make such an investment," their statement
concludes.
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PLEASE NOTE: Media Kit is available at http://www.hiaa.org/news/news-state/001120mediakit.htm.
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