National Federation of Independent Businesses Disagrees with BCBS Assessment of Association Health Plan Proposal

The National Federation of Independent Business, a small business advocacy organization, on May 14 challenged the findings of a Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association of America report issued last week on association health plans, CongressDaily/AM reports. The BCBSA report said that an NFIB-backed proposal to exempt AHPs -- which would allow small businesses to pool together to purchase health insurance for their employees -- from state regulation could "jeopardize consumers" (Rovner, CongressDaily/AM, 5/15). The report concluded that the legislation would replace state consumer protection laws, financial solvency standards and small-employer health insurance reforms with "minimal" federal standards (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 5/9). But in a fact sheet sent to health care legislative analysts, the NFIB said the plan would establish "solvency standards" that "are equal to, or stronger than, nearly all state insurance laws." In addition, the proposal calls for new certification standards that would "ensure that only bona fide trade and professional associations can sponsor AHPs" (CongressDaily/AM, 5/15).