Stephanie Herseth Sandlin: “with nearly 44 million Americans lacking basic health care coverage, it is time to take action. Today, in a disingenuous…”

“with nearly 44 million Americans lacking basic health care coverage, it is time to take action. Today, in a disingenuous public attempt to respond to the crisis of the uninsured, the Republican leadership has decided to spend the valuable time and limited resources of the American taxpayers debating Association Health Plan (AHP) legislation that has already been voted on in the 108th Congress. The absolute irony, of course, is that instead of strengthening the health of our nation, AHPs will increase the ranks of the uninsured, increase the health insurance costs for small businesses that don't participate in AHPs and destroy consumer protections currently safeguarded by state regulations. Clearly, this is not sound policy. Why are AHPs so bad? The creation of Association Health Plans will destabilize health insurance markets by forcing the state-regulated market and national AHP market to compete with each other. Few will benefit and most will suffer from this damaging division. Small businesses who choose to stay in the safer, state-regulated health insurance market will see their health insurance premiums skyrocket by 23 percent. The reality is that AHPs can offer lower premiums mainly because they offer fewer benefits--which is attractive to people in good health. With the AHPs siphoning off healther people into their market, state-regulated insurers will be responsible for covering a larger proportion of people with higher health care costs.”