Proposed Amendments to Health Care Reform Criticized By Insurance Industry
Out of the hundreds of potential amendments to the health care reform bill currently before Congress, two amendments in particular have drawn the attention of the insurance industry.
Arthur Postal with the National Underwriter discusses both amendments in his September 24, 2009 article:
Property and casualty insurance trade groups are uniting to oppose a proposed Senate health care reform amendment to merge medical components of workers’ compensation and auto insurance with health insurance.
The provision, known in industry parlance as “24-hour health coverage,” was proposed yesterday by Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va.
In a letter to the Senate Finance Committee, which was not expected to take up the amendment today, the p&c industry argues that, “the amendment would upend the systems now in place to protect injured workers, drivers and passengers.”
The second amendment would impose an approximate $6.7 billion dollar “annual fee on health insurance providers.” Postal described the reaction from the insurance industry article stating:
If the proposed taxes are included in final legislation, the insurers said, it “would undermine the shared goals of achieving universal coverage and improving the affordability and quality of healthcare for the uninsured and for those currently with coverage.”
The insurers added that the new taxes would “likely be borne principally by those obtaining individual coverage in the exchange and by small businesses.”
As previously discussed on this blog, these amendments represent a potentially dramatic change to the insurance industry and therefore we will continue to monitor these developments.
Source:
Health Insurers Blast Tax Language In Health Reform Bill
Another Health Care Amendment Draws P&C Industry Fire
