WASHINGTON, D.C. – As policymakers debate a range of policy considerations around Americans’ health coverage, members of the Protecting Americans’ Coverage Together (PACT) campaign urged Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Frank Pallone to prevent the establishment of a new, government-run public insurance option that could lead to significant disruption to the employer-based coverage that millions of Americans rely on today.
PACT members, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Business Roundtable, Council for Affordable Health Coverage, The National Association of Manufacturers, and Vermeer Corporation, represent leading employer voices focused on strengthening the employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) program and protecting the coverage and benefits that American families depend on for their health.
In response to a recent request for information from Sen. Murray and Rep. Pallone, PACT members reinforced the critical role that ESI played in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis and economic value that the program contributes to the national economy. Highlights from their letters are included below:
“Whether a public option is designed as another plan offered on the Affordable Care Act’s Marketplace, as an expansion of Medicare that allows individuals younger than the current eligibility age of 65 to buy-in to Medicare, or a more extreme Medicare expansion often referred to as Medicare for all, these various types of public option proposals will all detrimentally affect Americans financially and impede their ability to access our health care system…Instead, Congress should focus on the strength of the employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) system where Americans are able to receive innovative and a valued health coverage and benefits… American employers are proud to provide health care coverage and any change limiting private options will not only significantly destabilize the system by reducing healthy participants but also reduce access to health care providers for all Americans.” – U.S. Chamber of Commerce
“Business Roundtable supports efforts to ensure the uninsured population has access to affordable health insurance, while preserving the employer-sponsored system that provides coverage to 160 million Americans. Especially during these challenging economic times, families across the country should not have to worry about needing to change their health plans or their doctors. Efforts to expand health care coverage to the uninsured population can be done without undermining the ability of employers to be innovators in health care delivery through the development of models that promote value, affordability, and wellness.” – Business Roundtable
“Despite the many challenges and strains facing the health care system, we are a nation that prides itself on first-class, best-in-the-world medical care. Our institutions, public and private, continue to lead the world on patient care, lifesaving treatments and medical research. Employers are currently leading a great deal of innovation in health care delivery and those positive developments must be allowed to flourish… The economies of scale that have come to define employer-sponsored coverage for over 160 million Americans create a vehicle to design benefits that are more flexible, innovative and efficient, but this only works if health care innovation is encouraged and not squelched by government interference. Manufacturers urge you and your committees to advance policies that will promote innovation and value by encouraging reforms that are in step with the next generation of health care delivery.” – The National Association of Manufacturers
“One-size-fits-some solutions like a public option is the wrong path, upending the entire market to advance an ideological agenda expanding government run health care. Worse, a public option effectively removes the competitive forces at work in health markets, with government prices set by bureaucrats rather than real world experience. Instead, policy makers should focus on reinforcing and expanding popular jobs-based coverage where 160 million Americans get coverage.” – The Council for Affordable Health Coverage
