Satcom - Science and Technology Consortium of the MidAtlantic

Who supports AHPS?

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Dennis Hastert - U.S. Rep, R-Ill., Speaker of the House, speaking at a conference on proposed health care reforms

"Access comes down to price. Unless you have some kind of insurance to get you in the door, people don't get care."

Paul T. Stalknecht - President & CEO of the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA), March 6, 2003

"ACCA members are continually being squeezed by the large health insurance companies and their interminably rising healthcare premiums. In a survey conducted last fall, ACCA contractors reported on average a 60% jump in their healthcare costs over the last three years.

"Unfortunately, the small group health insurance market is virtually held hostage by the insurance industry because of federal prohibitions against nationwide association health plans. Enactment of the Small Business Health Fairness Act is ACCA's number one legislative priority in the 108th Congress."

Phyllis M. Burlage - President Burlage Associates, testifying before the House Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations

"Maryland offers very few choices, as many providers will not come into the state due to the sheer volume of regulations and state mandates. I administer our plan and every year I look for alternatives: there are none. Two weeks ago, I received my renewal in the mail and my insurance is increasing again.

"My rate hike this year is 45 percent with our health maintenance organization (HMO). This is real money since I absorb all the cost increases for my employees. Since 1996, my company has experienced a 226 percent increase in premiums - how can any business survive with these types of increases over just a few years? This year our rates went from $226 to $265 for an individual; from $476 to $557 for an employee and her spouse; and, the cost skyrockets to $750 a month to add a family, up from $651 only a year ago. I may have no choice but to raise my clients' fees to cover our company's health care costs, but in this economy, I may then lose these clients to competitors. It's a vicious cycle for business owners."

Sam Johnson - R-Texas, Chair of the Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations, Opening Statement, April 8, 2003

"Today, we will vote on an important component of the bush administration's health care agenda - H.R. 660, the Small Business Health Fairness Act. The bill, which reps. Ernie Fletcher, Nydia Vel zquez, Cal Dooley and I introduced, along with our committee chairman, Mr. Boehner, would allow the establishment of certified, federal association health plans (AHPs).

"As we've discussed at previous hearings, AHPs will significantly expand access to health coverage for uninsured Americans by: 1) increasing small businesses' bargaining power with health care providers, and 2) giving employers freedom from costly state-mandated benefit packages. As such, AHPs will increase the number of insured Americans by up to 8 million people."

President, United States of America, speaking to small-business owners and workers at SRC Automotive in Springfield, Mo.

"We need association health plans so small businesses can pool risk, so they can better provide health insurance for their employees."

Olympia Snowe - Senator, R-Maine, Chairman, Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, February 25, 2004

"AHPs help millions of Americans lacking insurance by leveraging the inherent strength of the marketplace without committing the federal government to expensive new outlays."

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Is health insurance becoming too costly for your business? Tell your senators small businesses MUST HAVE Association Purchasing Pooled Health Plans (AHPs) for Small-Business to be able to continue providing affordable health insurance to their employees.
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"On the critical issue of health care, our goal is to ensure that Americans can choose and afford private health care coverage that best fits their individual needs. To make insurance more affordable, Congress must act to address rapidly rising health care costs. Small businesses should be able to band together and negotiate for lower insurance rates, so they can cover more workers with health insurance -- I urge you to pass Association Health Plans."
-- President George Bush,
State of the Union Address
January 20, 2004.
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See who supports AHP'S

SATCOM is a 501(c)(6)
non-profit purchasing alliance for science and technology-driven companies of all sizes.
It has extensive administrative and consulting skills in all types of insurance. SATCOM has been selected by the Greater Baltimore Tech Council to administer its Health Insurance Program. It was the GBTC leadership that urged the formation of SATCOM more than a dozen years ago, to address Tech Council members’ needs for affordable, omprehensive health insurance.
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