John Tierney: “this so-called Small Business Health Fairness Act is a bill that is attractive to a few, seems to be sufficient for…”

“this so-called Small Business Health Fairness Act is a bill that is attractive to a few, seems to be sufficient for none, and is going to be harmful for many. The Congressional Budget Office did an estimate of the proposed bill. It estimated that only 600,000 of the 45 million uninsured will be provided new insurance coverage by these AHPs. In fact, the respected 2003 Mercer Consultant Study that was done for the National Small Business Association found that the number of uninsured will increase by 1 million, as increased nonassociated market costs force small employers to drop coverage. The fact of the matter is there is not going to be the dramatic savings proposed here. That is not going to materialize. The Congressional Budget Office found that these premiums for AHPs would only be marginally less than traditional premiums for health care plans. In fact, the 2003 Mercer Study found that premiums would increase by 23 percent for those outside the AHP market. It also found that there would be an increase in the number of uninsured workers in small firms, an increase of 1 million people as a result of this plan being implemented. Again, the fact of the matter is that Americans would also lose their right to vital medical coverage, like OB-GYN and pediatrician services, cervical, colon, mammography and prostate cancer screening, maternity benefits, well-care child services, and diabetes treatment. Mr.…”