Tell Congress to Stop Hurting Your Healthcare Target: Elected Officials Sponsor: Protect Your Healthcare.org

UPDATE: Congress Introduces H.R. 525/S. 406, Legislation that Hurts Your Healthcare Congress has moved quickly this session to reintroduce the flawed Small Business Health Fairness Act of 2005 (H.R. 525/S. 406), legislation that creates federal Association Health Plans (AHPs) and lets insurers off the hook when it comes to protecting you and your family. We prevented this legislation from becoming law last year - now we need to stop it again. Congress is trying to create this "new" kind of federal health insurance called Association Health Plans. But AHPs are really healthcare that hurts. AHPs mean no protection, no guarantee and no limits on price. They will be exempt from health and consumer protection laws you have in your state. We need to do something about healthcare, but AHPs will make things worse. They will be able to raise your rates, as much as and as often as they want. You could face frequent rate hikes because you get sick and file a claim. They will take away your right to appeal. Right now, in most states, you have the right to appeal if health insurers refuse to pay your bill, but you won't with AHPs. They may not be there to pay your claims. You could get stuck with the bills, because AHPs won't have to keep enough money in the bank to cover your medical expenses. Only you can stop them. Protect Your Healthcare, a broad alliance that includes the American Federation of Teachers, the AFL-CIO, the American Nurses Association and the National Partnership for Women and Families, is committed to fighting AHPs. Sign our petition and help us stop Congress from creating AHPs – healthcare that hurts.

Petition text:

Dear Elected Official,

I was surprised to learn that, at a time when Americans are calling for increased accountability for businesses, Congress would consider legislation - the Small Business Health Fairness Act of 2005, S. 406/H.R. 525 - that would exempt Association Health Plans (AHPs) from important state consumer protection laws. These misguided efforts to reduce costs will only cause families like mine to pay the price.

As you may know, this has been tried before - and failed miserably. In the 1980s, health insurance fraud swept the country after Congress exempted similar types of plans from state consumer protection laws. This lack of protection exposed consumers to poorly managed and underfunded insurance or outright scams, leaving hundreds of thousands with unpaid claims and no access to medical care. In 1983, Congress was forced to pass new federal legislation that repealed that exemption.

I am very concerned that AHP legislation would only resurrect a failed policy of the past. Please protect us by opposing federal AHP legislation like S. 545/H.R. 660.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]