
Washington, DC – Karen Ignagni, President and CEO of America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), released the following statement today on the letter regarding health care costs:
“We welcome the opportunity to address the issue of soaring health care costs. We look forward to providing information about how, where, and why costs are rising.
“Premium increases track increases in underlying medical costs, and each state has a process for reviewing changes in premiums.
“In addition to the growth in underlying medical costs, experience has shown that cost increases have been exacerbated in states that have enacted new health care taxes and shifted more costs from public programs to the private sector by underpaying providers. This experience underscores the serious concerns we have raised about the potential unintended consequences from new federal legislation that does not bend the cost curve.”
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