Key Issues:
Statement Regarding Conditions of Competition in Japan
Disaster Response and Readiness
Rising Health Care Costs
Premium growth has slowed, but still outpaces inflation. Health insurance premiums rose by 8.8% from 2004 to 2005, or more than one-third slower than three years ago. The cost of medical services largely determines the cost of health insurance. In fact, the federal government reports that increases in health insurance premiums mirror increases in the cost of health care services over time.Use of Genetic Information
America's Health Insurance Plans believes in the importance of protecting genetic information from illegal or inappropriate uses. As a matter of practice, health insurance plans do not use or disclose such private health information for purposes outside of normal insurance coverage activities.
Types of Insurance:
Health Savings Accounts
In recent years, consumers and employers have expressed a renewed interest in engaging the consumer more directly in health care purchasing decisions. In response, many health insurance plans have developed consumer choice health plans, which encompass a variety of approaches to health care financing designed to improve consumer awareness of costs and quality of their health care.Long-Term Care Insurance
To date, more than 9 million Americans have purchased long-term care insurance (LTCI) policies and coverage continues to expand each year. Nonetheless, the general lack of knowledge about long-term care (LTC) leaves many Americans confused, frustrated, and ultimately unprepared to plan for their long term care needs. The lack of a clearly articulated government role in LTC financing compounds the challenge. The result is that too many individuals put off planning for LTC until care is actually needed, at which point they face severely constrained financing options. America's Health Insurance Plans recommends that the government increase efforts to ensure effective public education concerning LTC and LTC financing.Medicaid
The federal-state Medicaid program provides health coverage for nearly 46 million lower-income Americans who would otherwise be uninsured and unable to afford care. Approximately 20 million Medicaid recipients were enrolled in private plans as of June 2006. The number of Medicaid recipients enrolled in managed care plans continues to grow. Enrollment in these plans increased by about 5 percent in 2006 and grew by over 14 percent from 2003-2006.Medicare Advantage Plans
The Medicare Advantage program offers Medicare beneficiaries a wide range of health plan choices to meet their varying needs and circumstances. To date, approximately 8 million beneficiaries – accounting for nearly 20 percent of all beneficiaries nationwide – have enrolled in such plans and are receiving comprehensive, high quality, affordable coverage with benefits and innovative services that go well beyond the coverage offered by the Medicare FFS program.Medigap
Fee-for-service Medicare is estimated to cover just 50 percent of the health care costs incurred by seniors and other beneficiaries, leaving many at significant financial risk for illness. It is no surprise then that nine out of ten Medicare beneficiaries obtain additional coverage to supplement their Medicare benefits and protect themselves from these substantial costs. Some 10 million beneficiaries - roughly a quarter of all those eligible for Medicare - have done so through the purchase of Medicare supplemental insurance policies, commonly called Medigap. Another common source of coverage that supplements Medicare is employer retiree plans.
