Jay Rockefeller: “In the present bill before us, there is a requirement that benefits provided be actuarially equivalent to the benefits…”

“In the present bill before us, there is a requirement that benefits provided be actuarially equivalent to the benefits provided under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program or FEHBP, it sounds good. But, in fact, since there are so many plans out there, you do not know what kind of benefits that is going to get you. Actuarial equivalence simply guarantees a dollar amount that the insurance for each child has to add up to. It does not specify an actual level or set of benefits, which is the true meaning of decent and necessary health insurance. In fact, the child could very well not get inpatient services or not get outpatient services or not receive prescription drugs. Our amendment ties benefits that would need to be provided to a child to a specific health plan that is available under FEHBP. Sixty percent of Federal workers select the BC/BS standard PPO option. Our amendment says that benefits provided to children must be at least up to that level, plus vision and hearing. We want our children to get hospital care, we want them to get primary care, we want them to get preventive care. Basic protections that a majority of Federal workers choose for their own families.”