The health insurance lobby says it’s worried about the health care bill proposed by Nancy Pelosi this morning, but says it’s willing to work with Democrats to find a solution the industry says “will cover all Americans, make coverage more affordable, and improve quality.”
AHIP CEO Karen Ignagni offered the industry’s take on the House bill shortly after it was announced by Pelosi on the steps of the Capitol.
“The promise of health care reform has been that if you like your current coverage, you can keep it,” she said. “We are concerned that this proposal will break this promise by increasing health care costs for families and employers across the country and significantly disrupting the quality coverage on which millions of Americans rely today.”
Ignagni detailed the group’s problems with the bill.
“The lack of system-wide cost containment is a missed opportunity,” she said. “Without a greater focus on health care costs, families and employers will not be able to afford coverage and health care costs will rise at a rate much faster than the overall economy is able to sustain.”
But the AHIP executive suggested the industry sees room for its concerns to be heard. “As the process progresses, health plans will continue to work to advance bipartisan legislation this year,” Ignagni said.
