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AHIP Statement on the State of the Union Address
Washington D.C. – Karen Ignagni, President and CEO of America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), made the following remarks in response to the State of the Union address:
Health Care Agenda
“Health care belongs at the top of the domestic agenda. More than forty million people are uninsured, only half of health care is based on best practices, and consumers lack even basic information about the safety, quality and cost of the services they receive. The American people are eager for a bipartisan conversation about how we create a system that works better, costs less and is accessible to everyone.”
Health Care Costs
“Health care costs remain a pressing kitchen-table concern for most families and a major issue for many employers. Although health care costs continue to outpace economic growth, promising signs are emerging as this year, health premium have increased at the slowest rate in four years. According to a new PricewaterhouseCoopers report, drug cost increases are moderating as consumers gain access to health insurance plans’ innovative tools. However, that same study reported that defensive medicine and medical liability account for 10 percent of how premiums are spent. Additionally, services for the uninsured shift costs to private and public payers that consumers increasingly are paying for in the cost of their premiums—making it all the more essential that we find targeted solutions for the uninsured.”
Covering the Uninsured
“This issue threatens our economy, puts families and employers at risk, and strains our social fabric as a nation. Leaders at the federal and state levels need to come together and craft smart, targeted strategies that make health care coverage accessible to all. We must also recognize that the uninsured are not a monolithic population and won’t be well served by a one-size-fits-all solution. Tax incentives, public-private partnerships, and state high-risk pools all have a role to play, and health insurance plans need the freedom to develop products that meet the needs of a diverse population of individuals and employers that is struggling to afford health care coverage. States in particular have a responsibility in developing sound public policy by coupling the security of a safety net with the tools needed to help consumers access coverage.”
Health Care Quality
“When only 55 percent of health care is provided in accordance with best practices, the challenge of improving the health care quality should be evident to all. We need to make evidence-based medicine the rule, not the exception. We also need to match our commitment to medical research with a commitment to evaluating the safety, efficacy and cost-effectiveness of new technologies so that doctors and patients can know whether new treatments work better than existing therapies.”
Health Savings Accounts
“In just two years, more than three million consumers—many of whom were previously uninsured—have chosen health savings accounts. Boosting contribution limits and making HSAs more flexible will enable more consumers to access these innovative products.
Individual Tax Incentives
“It is time to level the playing field for those who seek coverage in the individual market. Tax incentives have proven to be a very effective way to encourage individuals to secure the health care coverage they need. To build on these successful policies, policymakers should consider refundable and advanceable tax credits as additional incentives to expand access to coverage.”
Medical Liability Reform
“Any plan to rein in health care costs has to include a solution for the medical liability crisis. As a new study from PricewaterhouseCoopers reveals, consumers and employers are paying a hidden, ten-percent medical liability tax every time they encounter the health care system.”
Small Business Access
“Providing affordable health care options for small employers is an important priority. We believe Congress should develop a legislative approach that solves this problem broadly, rather than giving preference to an untested product that would have unintended consequences for consumers. A level playing field with streamlined, but effective, regulations for all players will generate the healthy competition that is needed to produce high quality, affordable options for small employers.”
Transparency
“Consumers far too often lack even the basic information needed to make better health care decisions. Consumers have a right to the safety, quality and cost information required to make an informed assessment of their health care choices. To achieve this vision, AHIP and other health care stakeholders are working together through the Ambulatory Care Quality Alliance to develop uniform strategies for measuring physician performance and reporting useful cost and quality information to consumers.
Personal Health Records
“Health care needs to enter the 21st Century with a consumer-centric health IT system that puts real-time information in the hands of patients and physicians any where, any time. This is a national effort that can only be achieved through the shared vision and investment of government, providers and health insurance plans working together to establish voluntary, uniform standards that facilitate the interoperability and connectivity of health IT systems. Health plans are working with consumers, providers, employers and government officials to create a uniform approach to personal health records that are patient-controlled and portable.
