Health Insurance Industry Reform Proposal: We Profit. You Pay.
Washington, DC – Richard Kirsch, National Campaign Manager for Health Care For America Now (HCAN) – the nation’s largest health care advocacy campaign – issued the following statement today in response to America’s Health Insurance Plans’ (AHIP) release of its proposal for health care reform:
“The health insurance industry’s vision of health care reform lets them keep charging whatever they want and increase their profits while sticking families and taxpayers with high costs. Remarkably, the health insurance industry’s solution to medical bankruptcy isn’t to give people good health coverage but to have the government bail-out families who go bankrupt because they have lousy health coverage. How can the health insurance industry propose reform which still lets families go bankrupt and expect to be taken seriously?
AHIP’s plan still lets insurers charge higher premiums for older and sicker people and for women. Their proposal pushes high-deductible plans and still lets insurance companies decide whether or not to approve the care your doctor says you need.
Of course, there’s nothing in the industry’s plan that would limit their multi-million dollar CEO salaries or require companies to spend the lion’s share of health insurance premiums on providing health care instead of on administrative costs, fat cat salaries, and skyrocketing profits.
We call on Congress to join with President-elect Obama to enact health care reform in 2009 which puts the health of our families before the profits of the insurance industry. We don’t need another industry bailout like that proposed by AHIP. We need a guarantee of quality, affordable health care that serves our needs, not lines their pockets.”
Related:
10 Questions for AHIP:
http://healthcareforamericanow.org/site/content/10_questions_to_ask_ahip_about_their_health_care_reform_proposal
***To schedule an interview with Richard Kirsch, please call Jacki Schechner at 202-454-6196***
“The health insurance industry’s vision of health care reform lets them keep charging whatever they want and increase their profits while sticking families and taxpayers with high costs. Remarkably, the health insurance industry’s solution to medical bankruptcy isn’t to give people good health coverage but to have the government bail-out families who go bankrupt because they have lousy health coverage. How can the health insurance industry propose reform which still lets families go bankrupt and expect to be taken seriously?
AHIP’s plan still lets insurers charge higher premiums for older and sicker people and for women. Their proposal pushes high-deductible plans and still lets insurance companies decide whether or not to approve the care your doctor says you need.
Of course, there’s nothing in the industry’s plan that would limit their multi-million dollar CEO salaries or require companies to spend the lion’s share of health insurance premiums on providing health care instead of on administrative costs, fat cat salaries, and skyrocketing profits.
We call on Congress to join with President-elect Obama to enact health care reform in 2009 which puts the health of our families before the profits of the insurance industry. We don’t need another industry bailout like that proposed by AHIP. We need a guarantee of quality, affordable health care that serves our needs, not lines their pockets.”
Related:
10 Questions for AHIP:
http://healthcareforamericanow.org/site/content/10_questions_to_ask_ahip_about_their_health_care_reform_proposal
***To schedule an interview with Richard Kirsch, please call Jacki Schechner at 202-454-6196***
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