NFIB behind disasterous Enzi health plan for the $100M rev. if passed

[caligirl]

This article appeared some time ago and explains the greed behind the Health Modernizartion Act that passed in the Senate HELP committee in March 11-9. This bill will come to the senate floor in early May(1-5).Here is a link to the real details you need to know on a health care bill that is really a LOOSE your health care bill, even stripping you of the right to sue your insurer and the states right to protect you against predatory junk health plans. You will be at the mercy of the insurance industry because of the money the NFIB stands to gain if the Enzi bill is passed. And interestingly there are insurance organizations who are against this bill, such as Group Health Incorporated,HIP Health Plan of New York, Independent Health Association.
http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/healthcare/AHP /


Wall Street Journal
May 28, 2003

by Tom Hamburger
Trade Group Poses Health Plan --- Members' Insurance Could Cost Less-but Skirt States' Oversight

The National Federation of Independent Business has sold Republicans on a conservative answer to expanding health coverage: a new kind of insurance policy that trade associations could offer members.

**What they don't emphasize is the significant benefits this could provide the NFIB, a major Republican Party benefactor. If the Bush administration and congressional leaders push association health plans into law, the NFIB could reap more than $100 million of annual revenue by selling policies, according to one estimate. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is among dozens of business groups also considering getting in on the action.

**Increased revenue and other benefits are already a hot topic among Republican-friendly business organizations, if not in the debate on Capitol Hill. "What's in it for your association?" boomed consultant Don Dressler, at a meeting of trade-organization executives in Washington. "Membership retention and growth." Seventy percent of businesses that recently joined one California-based trade association, he said, did so because the association offered its members health insurance.

Critics see little profit for the health-care system as a whole. They warn that pending legislation, which would allow the association health plans (AHPs) to escape burdensome state regulation in favor of lighter federal oversight, could lead to a proliferation of cheaper, bare-bones insurance policies that will draw a disproportionate number of healthier, younger workers. That, in turn, could increase financial burdens on more-comprehensive state-regulated plans by leaving them with an older, sicker and thus more expensive pool of covered workers.

But Republicans, under renewed attack from Democrats on the health-care issue, have adopted AHPs as a central part of their agenda for shrinking the ranks of the uninsured. The bill, which has cleared the House three times before, is expected to pass that chamber easily next month. And backers have hopes of improving prospects in the Senate, which hasn't scheduled a floor vote on the matter previously.

Many trade associations currently offer members insurance, but usually they do so through policies that are sold to those within a single state. The AHP legislation would permit small businesses to band together across state lines and purchase policies through their association.


More at link...

http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/healthcare/nw/?postId=6...

EDIT: COPYRIGHT: PLEASE POST ONLY 4 OR 5 PARAGRAPHS
FROM THE COPYRIGHTED NEWS SOURCE PER DU RULES.

[matt819]

1. This has been kicking around for a few years

It's an intriguing concept, but these plans do indeed skirt both federal and state legislation and regulations. I'm not as current as I was some time back on these issues, but one thought sticks with me. In New Hampshire, for example, health insurance companies are required to pay claims within a fixed period of time - I think it's 30 or 60 days. An AHP would not be governed by such legislation, and they could take their sweet time in paying health claims, putting both the consumer and the care provider in difficult positions.

Also, there are no guarantees that the AHP would have sufficient assets to cover the claims of its members. Of course, this is minimized somewhat by the AHP cherry picking its membership and choosing what to cover or not cover.

These are extremely complex issues, and too many legislators are trying to ram this through, which makes me uncomfortable.

On another issue, I am troubled that such groups as the NFIB and the US Chamber of Commerce are so closely aligned with the RW, as, often enough, the needs of businesses are not necessarily met by republican party, RW, or administration policies. Health care is one issue, of course. The steady rise in interest rates is killing small business, to say nothing of gasoline prices. And yet NFIB and the US Chamber fall in lockstep behind administration policies. In the end, they may line their own coffers, but they do not serve their members well.

[caligirl]

2. The bill puts the NFIB in the health insurance business, competeing with

Association Health Plans Gain Traction in Senate

insurance companies forcing a race to the bottom, and giving Americans no reasonable health benefits for maximum profits through higher unregulated premiums.

From: Inc.com By: Ryan J. McCarthy
Printer friendlyEmail this articleNewslettersRSS
Quotes from Yahoo! Finance Symbol Lookup

A Senate committee will consider a bill that could make insurance more affordable for small businesses.

March 2, 2006--
>Industry groups, not surprisingly, are among the most ardent proponents of AHP legislation. The National Federation of Independent Business, along with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and numerous other trade organizations, have offered their support for AHPs. If the bill is approved, it would vault many organizations into the insurance business.

Amanda Austin, the NFIB’s manager of legislative affairs for the Senate, said the bill represents a revision of similar legislation introduced in 2005 by Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Sen. Jim Talent (R-Mo.), and that the new version has an excellent chance of getting out of the Senate committee. The Enzi bill, Austin said, would inject much-needed choice into the small-group health-care industry and would allow the NFIB to offer insurance directly to its more than 600,000 members.

“We’ll all be competing against each other,” Austin said of her fellow business groups, “to fill a very important need in the market.”<


http://www.inc.com/criticalnews/articles/200603/ahp.html

[caligirl]

3. Look who is speaking at the NFIB summit this year: David Gregory

of NBC news, also speaking are Tony Snow, Newt Gingrich, Haley Barbour, and ebay's Meg Whitman.


http://www.nfib.com/object/DavidGregory.html
http://www.nfib.com/page/summitAgenda.html

Even Karen Hughs has spoken to them, big business, Bush officials, Gregory?
>In a Friday morning address at the NFIB Small Business Summit, Hughes recalled that she often had to pinch herself to believe that someone from such a “very ordinary American background” was working at the White House. “It was a bizarre experience … but I felt a sense of privilege and honor to be in those rooms,” she said.<http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_16279.html

Norm Coleman was a gust at their 2005 summit as were other familiar faces of the republican part. So whats Gregory doing at their summit?


Link to thread with photos and more info on the repugs supporting NFIB.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2586555&mesg_id=2586555

[caligirl]

4. Working and correct link to article from WSJ in OP, its a repug leaning gr

http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/nw/?postId=6044

[sidwill]

5. This Bill SB 1955 is already been sent to the FULL SENATE!!!

The bill passed commitee on a party line vote Repukes for, Dems against.

The only hope to stop it is for either a few of moderate Repubs (Snowe, Collins, etc..) to defect or for a filibuster.

This cannot be allowed to pass.

It will f#$% the average person royally.

Link to other threads on this subject:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2242192

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x983527

[caligirl]

6. No it hasn't yet, but will likely be sent to the floor May 1-5.It did howe

however pass out of the HELP committee in the senate, Ted Kennedy is the minority leader of this, with an 11-9 vote. A similar bill has passed in the House already. We do need to stop it in the senate. If it gets through there, there is likely no chance of stopping it in conference committee.
Short of a mega law suit, and I think many will sue to stop this, that would then be the only hope left. Otherwise its back to 1890 as Bush wants it to be for himself and the middle class.

[caligirl]

7. Other thread, David Gregory (NBC)speaking at NFIB Summit in June

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2586555&mesg_id=2586555

[sidwill]

8. kick

kicky-kicky

[caligirl]

9. April 19, the NFIB launched a major campaign to get their bill passed

o get the Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization Act passed through congress:

NFIB Launches Targeted Campaign to Pass Small-Business Health Plans
04/ 19/ 2006
Nation’s largest small-business group works to reach senators before key vote in May

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Federation of Independent Business, the nation’s largest small-business group, today announced details of its nationwide grassroots and media campaign aimed at reaching U.S. senators before a key vote to pass Small-Business Health Plans, expected early next month. The bill, S. 1955, “The Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act of 2006,” passed the Senate Health, Education, Labor Pensions Committee in March.

***This week, radio ads are running in Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Washington state. The purpose of the ads is to generate awareness of SBHPs in these states and to encourage people to contact their senators through www.SBHPAlert.com. The ads are available for listening at www.NFIB.com.

***NFIB’s campaign also includes Web banner ads, which began running this week on major daily newspaper sites in Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington state and Wisconsin. Ads also are appearing on AOL small-business sites, small-business blogs and sites nationwide, national and local political blogs and sites, and several Washington, D.C., news publication sites. Print ads will also run in selected news publications in Washington, D.C.>

http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_27910.html

This group is one of THE most powerful lobbying groups in DC and is almost exclusively republican. They want their $100Million dollars potential profit by entering into the insurance market while ripping off the consumer be they small business employee or not.

If you care to have or keep the health insurance you have, you should be writing and calling your senators and others. Look at the targeted states in the NFIB campaign note above. Call them.Phone number listing here>
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

[sidwill]

10. Good info

Scary, but good.

We gotta stop this thing.

[caligirl]

11. I am about to finish calling all the dem Senators and Maine senators

as well as those the NFIB targeted in their article I posted above. That would be Florida Colorado Michigan etc.
I am asking for a filibuster and telling them about the $100 Million in profits the cheif backers of the bill stand to make according to a WallStreet Journal article also posted above.

I also mention the RNC connection of the recent CEO Faris and the photo gallery showing Karl Rove, Cheney, Enzi, Boehner and others at their Summit meetings.
This is big business making money while millions of Americans loose health coverage.

[caligirl]

12. kick for alert, senators were taking a tally for pro enzi and against it

today. Their phones were ringing off the hook. If you haven't called you have this week to do it. The bill could get to the floor next week. It has to be stopped in the senate,the house already has an existing bill like it so it won't get a vote or debate in the house.

[caligirl]

13. AARP, ADA and ACS joint effort on S1955, demand Filibuster.....

Bad health insurance Bill that comes up early in May, for DEFEAT I hope. Please call all the senators you can this week and demand democrats filibuster until this bill is killed. I offered Pizza and gourmet meals to be delivered if they would filibuster until its killed.


Daily Health Policy Report
Capitol Hill Watch | Consumer Groups Plan To Lobby Against Association Health Plan Bill


Several medical advocacy groups and AARP plan to make a "lobbying push" against a bill (S 1955) that would allow small businesses to form association health plans under certain conditions, CongressDaily reports (Heil, CongressDaily, 4/21). The legislation, sponsored by Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), would allow small businesses and trade associations to partner to offer group health plans on a statewide or nationwide basis. The bill would allow supervision of the plans to remain with state officials, rather than with the Department of Labor. In addition, although the legislation would allow small businesses and trade associations to pool members independently, they would have to establish fully funded plans, rather than self-insured plans. Under the bill, health insurers also could market plans to businesses and individuals that do not meet current state benefits requirements (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 4/18).

Opposition
In response to the bill, which likely will move to the Senate floor for consideration in May, the American Cancer Society plans to publish print advertisements that warn the legislation could reduce the ability of women to obtain coverage from health insurers for mammograms. Forty-nine states require health insurers to cover mammograms. Dan Smith, vice president of government relations for ACS, said, "Not only would this legislation wipe out guaranteed access to cancer screenings, it would remove coverage guarantees for clinical trials, off-label drug use and smoking cessation services." The American Diabetes Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics also have said the bill would eliminate state benefits requirements that affect patients with diabetes and children. In addition, AARP has raised concerns that the bill could increase health insurance costs for members. David Sloane, director of advocacy for AARP, said, "We're actively and aggressively working with Senate offices to let them know of our concern." According to CongressDaily, the bill "represents the GOP's best chance of passing major health legislation this year" (CongressDaily, 4/21).
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=36796

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[OzarkDem]

14. Bob Shrum was touting this scam on CNN

He was praising the GOP and Mitt Romney for coming up with such a great solution to the health care crisis.

What an ass. I hope Dems aren't taking his advice any longer, I'm not sure why they would get duped by these lame strategies to begin with. I guess they're too trusting.

Having health insurance isn't the same as having access to health care.

[depakid]

17. I expect that a number of DINO's will support this

and every state's insurance coverage mandates- including every mental health parity law- will be overruled.

My recollection is that 86 Dems supported preemption of every state's food safety laws in the House as well- and that bill is also headed for the Senate, where I expect the same result.

[blondeatlast]

15. Let's stand up to Big Insurance! Kick!

:kick:

[caligirl]

16. LTTE Sent this in to the paper today, hoping it gets printed.

May 1-5 The Health Marketplace Modernization Act(HIMMAA s1955) is going for a final vote in the US SENATE. The Lose Your Health Care bill is an associated health plan disguised as affordable health insurance to small businesses. Under HIMMAA, insurers choose plans and benefits for the small business owners to offer employees. They select only from those offered. It’s coverage for the healthy. Once sick, rates go up dramatically for the business and worker. It is insurance that leaves people uninsured.

HIMMAA deregulates the health insurance industry by removing it from effective state regulation to the essentially unregulated federal arena, disastrously affecting the health care coverage for those having quality health care coverage. It nullifies the California Patients Bill of Rights, explicitly preempts California laws protecting consumers and prohibits the state and insured from suing insurers. It establishes unprecedented legal rights for insurance companies, such as setting premium rates unfettered by state laws. HIMMAA eliminates mandated coverages like cancer screening, well baby checks and immunizations, maternity care, access to specialists. Supporters claim insurance companies will volunteer to provide this coverage. But in the four states that do not mandate coverage of diabetes supplies for patients, no insurer provides that coverage. The overwhelming majority of people with mandated health care protections will lose them overnight.

200 Million Americans will see their health care insurance benefits evaporate in the vain attempt to provide shoddy coverage to fewer than a million of the 46 million that need real coverage.