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America's Health Insurance Plans Comment Letter to IRS on Recent Health Savings Account Guidance

Excerpt: The following are recommendations from America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) for guidance to clarify the requirements for health savings accounts ... Our comments are divided into four categories: (A) requirements for high deductible health plans; (B) contributions to health savings accounts; (C) distributions from health savings accounts; and (D) administration of health savings accounts.

America's Health Insurance Plans's Lessons Learned from the Beginnings of Health Insurance

Excerpt: We can learn much from the private insurance industry's professional organization, AHIP. In this instance, we learn its perception of the flaws of earlier insurance products. Those of us who contend that private insurance is an obsolete method of financing health care are not the least surprised by AHIP's statement that 'many companies accepted applications for insurance that they should have refused as bad risks.'

America's Health Insurance Plans' Definition of Equity - The Principles of Pricing Health Insurance

Excerpt: And how does the private insurance industry define equity in the pricing of health insurance premiums? The premium that 'EACH insured pays must reflect the expected cost of providing coverage to THAT insured,' but not 'an extra amount to make up for those paying less than cost.' So let's see how that would work in a system that finances health care for everyone. The 80 percent of individuals (243 million people) who use 20 percent of our national health expenditures ($479 billion) would each be responsible for $1970 in an equitable system, according to the insurance industry's version. The other 20 percent of individuals (61 million people) who use 80 percent of our national health expenditures ($1,915 billion) would each be responsible for $31,400 in AHIP's version of equity.

Statement by the AHIP Board of Directors on Safely Re-Opening America's Health Care System

"For surgeries and procedures that were pre-authorized and approved but subsequently postponed due to COVID-19, health insurance providers will implement grace periods to extend the approvals.... [H]ealth insurance providers will promote and encourage members to catch up on preventive and routine care deferred due to COVID-19.... Health insurance providers are committed to partnering with hospitals, physicians, nurses, and other health care workers to continue the accelerated adoption and use of innovative technologies, such as telemedicine ... [I]nsurance providers will continue to streamline the use of prior authorization[.]"

Serving Rural America: Health Insurance Providers at Work (PDF)

"[In this article are] five case studies that spotlight the work of eight insurance providers working in four states to address the challenges of rural health in America. These case studies feature innovative approaches to health care delivery, financing, and community engagement and exhibit the leadership of health insurance providers in delivering high-quality, affordable, accessible care to all Americans, including those in rural areas."

Reducing and Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health Insurance Plans Partnering in Communities

28 pages. This report features a selection of innovative programs that health insurance plans have developed and implemented in their communities, in collaboration with schools, community groups, and policymakers, to prevent and ultimately reverse childhood obesity.

AHIP Supports Bipartisan Legislation to Repeal the ACA's Health Insurance Tax

"Starting next year the ACA imposes a new $100 billion tax on health insurance. The tax will start at $8 billion in 2014, increasing to $14.3 billion in 2018, and will continue to increase each year. The health insurance tax is larger than the device tax and the prescription drug tax combined.... he health insurance tax is far greater than the minimum penalty for those who choose not to buy health insurance -- further incentivizing young, healthy people to forgo purchasing insurance until they need medical care."

AHIP Comment Letter to HHS on Proposed Regs for Health Insurance Market Rules, Rate Review

Sections of the 28-page letter include: Guaranteed Availability / Guaranteed Renewability -- Additional Strategies Are Necessary to Encourage Participation, Minimize Disruption, and Mitigate Rate Shock; Adjusted Community Rating -- Additional Steps Can Be Taken to Promote Affordability of Coverage and Minimize Disruption of Rates in the Current Market; The Single Risk Pool Requirements Provide Flexibility For Developing Rates and Innovative Health Care and Payment Models; Consistent Treatment of Student Health Plans is Critical to Promote Affordability and Minimize Disruption; and The Regulatory Review Process Should Continue to Be Streamlined to Reduce Duplication, Promote Efficiency and Minimize Administrative Costs.

Statement by AHIP President About Senate Bill to Repeal the ACA's Health Insurance Tax

"Taxing health insurance makes it more expensive, and that is the opposite of what health care reform was supposed to accomplish.... Families and small businesses simply cannot afford to pay an additional $100 billion sales tax on their health insurance at a time when they are already struggling to keep up with rising medical costs."

AHIP Comment Letter to House Ways and Means Committee Work Groups, Urging Repeal of the ACA Health Insurance Tax (PDF)

6 pages. "The ACA health insurance tax, if allowed to take effect, will undermine efforts to control costs and provide affordable coverage options to the American people. The tax will be particularly painful for vulnerable populations, including consumers who buy coverage on their own [and] small business owners who struggle to provide coverage to their employees[.]"