Alaska Insurance

Private health insurers Federal planning a campaign of lobbying Congress for an extension of the disclosure legislation, which they need for health report to the millions of workers is not ensured, working for small businesses.

The lobbying campaign aimed at national legislators across the country. Insurers say the changes in state laws are preferable because they greater flexibility in managing local needs.

Carl J. Schramm, president of the Association of sickness funds of America, said: “If we are to avoid, the previous Congress regime of the health insurance industry, we must show a system of public regulation . ” Increased support in Congress

Support for federal regulators is growing in Congress, where legislators are concerned about the inability of many small businesses to find or pay for health insurance for their employees. If either confederation or countries adopt such standards is important because half and two thirds of the 34 million people had no across the country are occupied by businesses with 25 employees or less.

Insurers are often reluctantly to cover small businesses, because they say workers with a serious illness or accident can be two or three beds health costs for the group.

In order to familiarize themselves with the problem, Mr. Schramm said that the industry now wants to states, laws require that insurers provide insurance for businesses 3 to 25 employees. The professional association of more than 300 commercial health insurance funds, the 15 countries where he wants to see this type of legislation during the next year. It expects to spend $ 4 million to $ 5 million for lobbying, public relations and legal work in these countries, “said Schramm.

The 15 countries are Alaska, California, Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. They represent 70 percent of 34 million people lack health insurance. “Not well”

“We recognize that the insurance market for small groups not working well,” said Schramm. If the state legislature can not guarantee access to health insurance for small businesses, ” This would be an invitation for Congress to do, “he said.

It is unlikely that Congress will be flat, significant changes in the national health system adjourning before the end of 1992. But the passage of the federal law on the revision of the insurance market for small groups is possible, for several reasons. There is little or no cost to the government. Help for small businesses is politically popular, and members of Congress want to say something they have done to facilitate the nation public health problems.

Small employers with workers sick or disabled are often difficult or impossible to obtain health insurance at prices they can afford. Many insurers use health screening to ensure that a group is healthy, before agreeing to the reports. Premiums for the group may rise, if an employee has a serious illness or accident. In addition, some insurers refuse to write coverage for small groups in certain occupations and sectors with a history of costly rights. Senate of the proposal

The assurance of the economy is a similar proposal being drafted by Senator Lloyd Bentsen, Democrat of Texas, is the chairman of the Committee on Finance.

These two proposals, all small groups, the employer would be able to private health insurance, regardless of the health problems of their workers. Insurers can not exclude individuals at high risk diabetics as a worker or an employee of the child with heart disease. Insurers may not terminate coverage of a small group, because the demand for workers was high or his health deteriorated. The proposal assurance of the economy, as Mr. Bentsen, the variation in premiums, so that insurers should be similar fee amounts to small groups with demands of experience and health status.

To finance additional costs for millions of people or serious chronic medical problems, insurers would contribute, money to a pool to disseminate widely the risk in all insurance companies serves the small group. This pool of reinsurance to finance the coverage of human beings, can not obtain. Furthermore, the pool not guarantee a company will be financially ruined by the cost of claims filed by sick people.