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I screen our phone calls and this "Out of Area" number continually called at the same time each day. It finally got the best of me so I answered to a recorded voice lamenting the horrors of Association Health Plans - said it would reduce access to specialists, and you wouldn't be able to choose your doctor, yada yada. It then asked if I thought this was a bad idea and if I did, press one. I did because it did sound like a bad idea on the surface. I was then told to leave my name and information which would be sent to my senators to tell them I was against the AHPs.
Well, I don't know squat about Association Health Plans and I wasn't going to just take these people's word for it, so I hung up.
I researched (a quick and brief search on Yahoo) Association Health Plans and found the following . . . Read and tell me if you think the phone call was misleading.
The Tire Industry Association web page says:
Association Health Plan Legislation (AHP)
Summary: Association Health Plans (AHPs) will allow small business owners to band together across state lines through their membership in a bona fide trade or professional association to purchase health coverage for their families and employees. For example, many small business owners may have multiple memberships in the Tire Industry Association, NFIB, the U.S. Chamber, etc. If AHPs were to become law, a small business owner could purchase health benefits through any one of these entities who would in turn act much as the human resources department of a large company. As a result small business owners and employees will benefit from the same economies of scale, purchasing clout, and administrative efficiencies as Fortune 500 companies and union plans. This will result in lower health care costs and new coverage options for the working uninsured who are currently faced with no options other than the high priced, over-regulated plans that may exist in their individual states. Please take a few moments to contact your two Senators and one U.S. Representative on this very important issue.
The Association of Building Contractors web page says:
Association Health Plan Legislation
America's small businesses face a crisis today - the rising cost of health insurance coverage for employees. There is a solution - Association Health Plans (AHP.)
The U.S. House of Representatives adopted legislation that would clear the way for AHPs nationwide by a wide, bipartisan margin in June 2003. President Bush has stated strong support for this legislation. Bush urged the U.S. Senate to pass this legislation in his January, 20, 2004, State of the Union address.
A report released in 2003 by the U.S. Census Bureau shows that the number of Americans without health insurance increased by 5.7 percent in 2002 to 43.6 million. The greatest percentage of increase was among the employed. AHPs will give America's small businesses the same economies of scale and healthcare coverage buying power that is today afforded to labor unions and America's largest corporations.
ABC has testified before Congress on the need for AHPs and can provide an expert spokesperson on this issue. ABC established an association health benefits plan in 1957 and through the years offered health insurance plans to its members, many of whom were small business owners who would otherwise not be able to afford health insurance coverage for their employees.
In 2001, ABC was forced to discontinue the health insurance portion of its plan when ABC''s insurance carrier terminated coverage because of incompatible and inconsistent state laws, making it too expensive to provide coverage. The legislation pending before the U.S. Senate will once again allow small businesses to gain access to quality healthcare through associations.
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