AHIP Statement on Passage of Senate Finance Committee Legislation

WASHINGTON, Oct. 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- America's Health Insurance
Plans (AHIP) President and CEO Karen Ignagni released the following statement
today on passage of health care reform legislation in the Senate Finance
Committee:

"We strongly support comprehensive, bipartisan health care reform that covers
all Americans, improves quality, and puts the health care system on an
affordable, sustainable path. Health plans have proposed guaranteed coverage,
elimination of pre-existing condition exclusions, and no longer basing
premiums on health status or gender. Experience in the states has shown that
market reforms need to paired with universal coverage to make health care as
affordable as possible.

"While we agree with the objective of the current proposal, we are concerned
about its workability and cost. The bill imposes hundreds of billions of
dollars in new health care taxes and provides an incentive for people to wait
until they are sick to purchase coverage. A recent analysis by
PricewaterhouseCoopers found that these provisions will cause health care
costs to increase far faster and higher than they would under the current
system. We believe these issues can and should be addressed.

"Health plans will continue to work towards comprehensive, bipartisan health
care reform that covers all Americans, improves quality, and makes coverage
more affordable."

America's Health Insurance Plans - Providing Health Benefits to More Than 200
Million Americans

Key findings from a recent report by PricewaterhouseCoopers:
http://www.americanhealthsolution.org/assets/Reform-Resources/AHIP-Reform-Resources/PWC-Report-on-Costs-Final.pdf

The analysis shows that the cost of the average family policy is approximately
$12,300 today and will rise to:
-- $15,500 in 2013 under current law and to $17,200 if these provisions
are
implemented.
-- $18,400 in 2016 under current law and to $21,300 if these provisions
are
implemented.

-- $21,900 in 2019 under current law and to $25,900 if these provisions
are
implemented.

Between 2010 and 2019 the cumulative increases in the cost of a typical family
policy under this reform proposal will be approximately $20,700 more than it
would be under the current system.

SOURCE America's Health Insurance Plans

Robert Zirkelbach of America's Health Insurance Plans, +1-202-778-8493