Producer Groups to Congress: Don’t Rush Health Care Reforms

A coalition of insurance producer groups representing health insurance advisors, agents, brokers, consultants and employee benefit specialists is urging Congress not to be hasty in its efforts to reform health care.

The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA), Health & Employee Benefits (AHIA), Link TextThe Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers (CIAB), National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU), and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) joined forces in signing the letter to congressional leaders urging them to oppose efforts to include health care reform in the budget reconciliation instructions.

In its letter to Congress, the organizations caution that “an issue of this magnitude deserves its due consideration under regular order.”

The organizations praise Congress and the Administration for making health care reform a top priority, and agree that this legislation must be a bipartisan product with participation from all stakeholders.

“However,” said the letter, “we fear the spirit of bipartisan cooperation will be lost if regular order is put aside, and the reconciliation process is utilized to fast-track health care reform legislation. The future of the nation’s health care system deserves nothing less than an open, bipartisan and transparent debate by Congress.

“As you begin deliberations in the conference committee, we hope you will support the Senate position, and oppose any effort to inject health care reform into the budget reconciliation instructions,” the letter concluded.