MEMORANDUM IN OPPOSITION
Bill: A.943 -Tokasz/S.1846 - Farley ≠ An act to amend the Insurance Law, in relation to providing coverage for hospice care under the Healthy New York program.
The Employer Alliance
for Affordable Health Care,
a
coalition of nearly 2,300 New York employers committed to keeping health
insurance in New York affordable, supports a moratorium on all health
mandates. Mandates increase the cost of premiums and in turn the number
of uninsured. This proposal seeks to add coverage of hospice services
to the Healthy New York benefit package. We oppose this measure as
being contrary to the intent of this laudable subsidy program.
The Employer Alliance for Affordable Health Care
is an enthusiastic supporter of the Healthy New York. The goal of the
program is to establish a product that is more affordable by utilizing
aggressive stop-loss subsidies in tandem with an elimination of certain mandated benefits.
Providing employers greater choice in benefit package is critical to
keeping people insured. Unfortunately, because New York has more than
30 mandated benefits - even a "stripped down" policy in New York
includes a wide range of mandated benefits that in the aggregate cost
more than $1,000 per employee (family coverage) annually. Changes in
2004 to address some of the shortcomings of the program designed to
lower eligibility requirements, increase the stop-loss subsidy and
reduce prescription benefit has triggered a significant increase in
enrollment.
Mandating
a new benefit to the Health New York package - no matter how suitable -
is counter to the intent of this program and will vitiate this
worthwhile experiment. Instead of advocating for this legislation, the Employer Alliance
urges legislators to eliminate other mandated benefits on commercial
products to further help reduce the cost and expand access.
We urge you to vote NO on A.943/S.1846.
Employer Alliance For Affordable Health Care
PO Box 1412
Albany, New York 12201-1412
(518) 462-2296
employeralliance@yahoo.com
www.employeralliance.com
Scott Miller, Chairman
2/2005
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