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AAES Statement on Association Health Plans
April 28, 2000
Contact: Allison Sayler
Te: 202-296-2237, ext. 14
Email: asayler@aaes.org
The American Association of Engineering Societies recognizes the importance of improving opportunities for all workers to gain access to health care coverage. AHPs increase access to affordable health care options for families employed by small businesses. Additionally, AHPs can reduce health coverage costs by 15%-30% by allowing small businesses, the self employed, and professional societies to join together to obtain the same economies of scale, purchasing clout, and administrative efficiencies from which employees of large corporations and union health plans currently benefit.
Policy Recommendations:
Policy-makers should incorporate the following principles in any health care reform legislation:
- Remove barriers to small employers, the self
employed, and professional society membership
banding together to purchase fully insured health
plans, thus expanding the market for insurers.
- Increase the choices of health plans available
to small business employees and association
members by preempting state mandated benefits
for AHPs in the same manner as large employer
and union plans are exempt from such mandates.
- Increase solvency standards and other consumer
protections for self-insured AHPs, thereby leveling
the playing field between self-insured and fully
insured plans.
- Apply the same patient protection provisions that health care reform initiatives apply to corporate and union plans.