AHIP Statement on President Obama's Address to the Nation

America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) released the following statement today from Karen Ignagni, President and CEO:

"We agree the status quo is not sustainable. That is why health plans last year did something industries rarely do: stepped up and offered solutions to address the health care concerns raised by the American people. We proposed health insurance reform to guarantee coverage to all Americans, eliminate pre-existing condition exclusions and rescissions, and no longer base premiums on a person's health status or gender. To keep coverage as affordable as possible, these reforms must be paired with an effective coverage requirement to get everyone into the health care system.

"New health insurance reforms and consumer protections will solve the problem without creating a new government-run plan that will disrupt the quality coverage that millions of Americans rely on today. We share the concerns that hospitals, doctors, employers, and patients have all raised about the significant unintended consequences of a government-run plan.

"Health care reform must also include a serious commitment to cost containment to ensure coverage is more affordable and to put our health care system on a sustainable and fiscally responsible path. New taxes on health care coverage will have the opposite effect by making coverage less affordable for families and small businesses across the country.

"Health plans will continue to work with policymakers and stakeholders to advance comprehensive, bipartisan health care reform. The nation cannot afford to let this historic opportunity pass us by."

America's Health Insurance Plans -- Providing Health Benefits to More Than 200 Million Americans a