AHIP Comments on President Biden’s State of the Union Health Care Priorities
Washington, D.C. – March 1, 2022 – Matt Eyles, AHIP President and CEO, issued these comments reflecting on the health care priorities President Biden highlighted during his State of the Union address:
“Every American deserves access to affordable, comprehensive health care coverage. And that commitment has been most important as health insurance providers have taken decisive action throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to help protect and improve people’s health and financial stability. Working with federal and state leaders, we continue this commitment today.
“We strongly support making permanent the premium savings provided to hardworking Americans who buy coverage on their own through the American Rescue Plan. Those savings greatly help improve the affordability and accessibility of health care coverage.
“The President is right: Drug prices are out of control, particularly for insulin, which is lifesaving for millions of Americans. But we must hold drug manufacturers accountable and not give them a free pass to raise insulin prices every single year. Imposing co-pay caps that do nothing to address underlying prices set and controlled by manufacturers will not help consumers and American businesses – they would only end up paying for those caps through higher insurance premiums and copays.
“We also strongly support the call for action to improve access to quality behavioral health care for all Americans, particularly among under-represented and underserved communities. We need more innovative collaborations and solutions with providers and communities to address this complex issue, including more programs to encourage more behavioral health care providers, and to integrate behavioral and physical health care in the doctor’s office. We strongly support parity in coverage for physical and behavioral health needs, expanded access to telehealth services, and driving value-based care arrangements that include behavioral health providers and services. We will continue to engage with Congress and the Administration on additional solutions that Americans need now to improve behavioral health care for children, adolescents and adults.”
About AHIP
AHIP is the national association whose members provide health care coverage, services, and solutions to hundreds of millions of Americans every day. We are committed to market-based solutions and public-private partnerships that make health care better and coverage more affordable and accessible for everyone. Visit www.ahip.org to learn how working together, we are Guiding Greater Health.