Home arrow Interest Groups
hr08000-152x558.gif
Interest Groups
E-mail to friends
Advanced Medical Technology Association
Bringining innovation to patient care worldwide		 Plan StatusOngoing advocacy.Number of People CoveredNot addressed.
Estimated CostNot addressed.
Payment Scheme AdvaMed believes that proper use of technology to prevent and cure disease can yield savings.
Advanced Medical Technology Association  Plan in Brief
  • AdvaMed—whose members are developers of medical devices, diagnostics, and information systems—advocates on policy, economic, and legal issues with the goal of advancing innovation and improving global health care.
  • AdvaMed supports value-based approaches to health care such as pay-for-performance, physician efficiency standards, and “gainsharing.”
  • AdvaMed warns that cost-cutting, if not done thoughtfully, can actually increase health care costs in the long run.
  • AdvaMed supports measures that will improve the quality of care and warns against measures, such as Medicare cuts, that would decrease the quality of care.
Read More»
E-mail to friends
American Academy of Family Physicians
"Health Care for All" Proposal		 Plan Status“Health Care for All” approved October, 3, 2007, by AAFP Congress.Number of People CoveredAll people residing within US borders.
Estimated Cost$47.5 billion per year.
Payment Scheme Current insurance market (with employer-based plans, individually purchased insurance, health savings accounts, copayments, and government-funded programs), along with funding derived via taxes. Payment levels would be determined using a resource-based relative value system.
American Academy of Family Physician  Plan in Brief
  • The AAFP represents 93,000 family physicians and medical students.
  • All Americans would be eligible for basic care with no copayment.
  • Other health services paid on a fee-for-service basis and subject to copayments and deductibles.
  • Based largely on patient-centered medical home concept.
  • Retains current insurance market.
Read More»
E-mail to friends
American College of Physicians
Medical Specialty Society		 Plan StatusProposed.Number of People CoveredAll American citizens.
Estimated CostNot addressed.
Payment Scheme Recommends established universal coverage through either a pluralistic (multipayor) system in which patients can choose from coverage options offered by the government and other parties or a single-payor system in which one government entity is the sole third-party payor of health care costs. 
Image
Plan in Brief
  • ACP has 124,000 members—internists, internal medicine subspecialists, and medical students, residents, and fellows.
  • Supports universal health care coverage.
  • Health insurance coverage and benefits should be continuous and not dependent on place of residence or employment status.
  • Emphasizes role of primary care.
Read More»
E-mail to friends
American Medical Association
US Healthcare Interest Group
 Plan StatusProposed.Number of People Covered Aims for universal coverage
Estimated CostNot available.  But emphasizes the need to build on the strengths of the current system to get all persons access to affordable insurance, so they are getting care early and thus avoiding costly emergency room visits or serious chronic illness.Payment Scheme Keeps private and public systems, but moves away from employer-based insurance, putting control of health insurance decisions into individuals' hands.
Image  Plan in Brief
  • Nation's largest physician group.
  • Expands some public programs (eg SCHIP).
  • Reduce reliance on employer-based insurance.
  • Provides subsidies and financial incentives to the poor.
  • Once insurance is affordable to all, requires everyone to buy it.
  • Gives people with pre-existing conditions access to insurance, somehow.
Read More»
E-mail to friends
America’s Health Insurance Plan
Various Proposals
 Plan StatusVarious proposals
Number of People CoveredAims for universal coverage
Estimated CostNot specified, but emphasizes      cost containment by getting everyone insured so that more healthy people (who previously opted out of health insurance until they became sick) have to buy insurance, and will have access to preventive health services. States will cover the costs of patients with the highest health care costs.Payment Scheme Enhance existing government-funded and individually purchased schemes, and maintain employer-based coverage. States fund health care for the most expensive cases.
America’s Health Insurance Plan  Plan in Brief
  • AHIP represents nearly 1,300 health insurance companies.
  • States create Guarantee Access Plans (GAPs) to cover uninsured individuals with the highest medical costs.
  • Private plans guarantee coverage of applicants not eligible for GAP, at no more than 150% of standard premium rate.
  • Third party review of insurer's decisions.
  • Commitment to limit pre-existing condition exclusions.
Read More»
E-mail to friends
Coalition for Affordable Health Coverage
Working Together for America's Uninsured
 Plan StatusOngoing advocacy.Number of People CoveredSeeks to make health care affordable to as many Americans as possible.Estimated CostNot addressed.
Payment Scheme CAHC advocates market-based solutions for the benefits of choice and competition. The coalition believes individuals can get financial support to purchase health coverage via tax credits and deductions, Health Savings Accounts, and high-risk pools.
Image Plan in Brief
  • CAHC is a broad-based coalition that supports market-based options to make health care affordable to as many Americans as possible.
  • Members come from the insurance and pharmaceutical industry, physician groups, business groups, consumer groups, and more.
  • CAHC believes that because there are varying reasons why people do not have health care coverage, varying solutions will be needed.
  • Advises government on measures to make health care affordable.
Read More»
E-mail to friends
Communicating for America
      		 Plan StatusOngoing advocacy.Number of People CoveredAll Americans, within five years.
Estimated CostNot addressed.
Payment Scheme Relies on various initiatives including federal funding, the private market, and consumer-driven health care.
CA  Plan in Brief
  • This nonprofit advocates and provides benefits for the self-employed.
  • Supports universal access and says this goal can be achieved within five years.
  • Provides advocacy, education, and health care packages and support for members.
  • Supports expansion of high-risk pools, with more funding and guaranteed access.
  • Formerly known as Communicating for Agriculture and the Self-Employed.
Read More»
E-mail to friends
ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC)
   		 Plan Status“A New Benefit Platform for Life Security” published. Number of People CoveredAll Americans.
Estimated CostNot addressed.
Payment Scheme Employers and individuals would jointly fund coverage.
Image
Plan in Brief
  • ERIC represents employee benefit plans (health, retirement, and other benefit and compensation packages).
  • ERISA proposal would create geographically organized Benefit Administrators that compete on quality, cost, and design.
  • ERIC supports a pluralistic rather than single-payer system.
  • Standardizing a benefit structure should reduce administrative cost.
Read More»
E-mail to friends
Federation of American Hospitals
Health Policy and Advocacy Organization		 Plan StatusProposed.Number of People Covered98% of Americans.
Estimated CostAn increase in Federal Cost by $133 billion (by 2010).Payment Scheme Current insurance market (with employer-based plans, individually purchased insurance, and public programs) expands. Federal government picks up bulk of extra cost. Private employers will pick up some cost. States and insured households will have health care coverage costs decrease.  The overall (Federal government, states, employers, and households) difference between cost incurred and savings benefit is estimated to be $68 billion.
Image  Plan in Brief
  • FAH is the national representative of investor-owned or managed community hospitals and health systems throughout the United States.
  • Medicaid and SCHIP are expanded and strengthened.
  • New Health Coverage Passports (HCPs) cover all or part of health insurance premiums for those below 400% of Federal Poverty Level.
  • Premiums on private insurance purchased in the individual market are tax deductible.
  • People currently enrolled in employer coverage or public programs keep their coverage.
  • The uninsured are enrolled when they file tax returns or seek health care.
  • Insurance plans are held to the standard of federal employees’ plan.
Read More»
E-mail to friends
Health Care for America Now
QUALITY, AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE WE ALL CAN COUNT ON		 Plan StatusOngoing advocacy.Number of People CoveredAll Americans.
Estimated CostNot addressed.
Payment Scheme HCAN supports a system that combines private and public coverage.
HCAN  Plan in Brief
  • This self-described “national grassroots campaigns includes among its membership social, political, business, and health care professional organizations.
  • HCAN supports bringing affordable, quality health care to all Americans.
  • The goal is the responsibility of individuals, employers, and government.
Read More»
E-mail to friends
National Association of Chain Drug Stores
 		 Plan Status“Principles of Healthcare Reform” issued.Number of People CoveredAs many Americans as possible.
Estimated CostNot addressed.
Payment Scheme NACDS opposes a single-payer system, favoring a primarily private insurance system combined with public programs.
National Association of Chain Drug Stores  Plan in Brief
  • NACDS members are the leading retail chain pharmacies and suppliers of products and services to chain pharmacies.
  • The “Principles of Healthcare Reform” were issued May 6, 2008, at a Senate Finance Committee meeting addressing the topic “Seizing the New Opportunity for Health Reform.”
  • NACDS promotes the role of pharmacy in improving access, affordability, and quality of health care and urges policymakers to consider pharmacy in all reform plans.
Read More»
E-mail to friends
National Association of Health Underwriters

 Plan StatusHealthy Access recommendations issued.Number of People CoveredAll Americans.
Estimated CostNot addressed.
Payment Scheme NAHU believes that many of its Healthy Access recommendations (e.g., encouraging wellness and preventions, pay for performance, health IT) will reduce health care costs. However, recognizing that additional public funds will be needed, NAHU recommends taxes and fees on unhealthy goods and activities: tobacco, alcohol, high-fat and high-sugar foods, and guns and ammunition. Other funding should be derived from a broad base and might include assessments on hospital stays and a national lottery whose proceeds would be devoted to health care uses.
Image  Plan in Brief
  • NAHU exists to help its members—more than 20,000 insurance agents, brokers, consultants, and benefits professionals—guide their clients’ health insurance choices and enrollment.
  • NAHU supports preservation of employer-based coverage as well as expanded offerings to individuals and the self-employed and expanded access to certain public programs.

Read More»
E-mail to friends
National Business Coalition on Health
Reform Position Statement
 Plan StatusPosition statement released September 2007.Number of People CoveredNot specified.Estimated CostNot specified.Payment Scheme Public-private partnerships that distribute the health care benefit premium cost equally between employers, individuals, and local/state or federal government resources.
National Business Coalition on Health
Plan in Brief
  • NBCH represents approx. 10,000 employers through health care coalitions.
  • Helps small businesses to collectively purchase health insurance.
  • Tax incentives for individuals to purchase insurance.
Read More»
E-mail to friends
National Federation of Independent Businesses
The Voice of Small Business		 Plan StatusSolutions Start Here, NFIB’s reform campaign, is under way and has sought pledges from presidential candidates.Number of People CoveredAll Americans.
Estimated CostNot addressed.
Payment Scheme NFIB emphasizes the role of the private sector and calls for affordability and efficiency among its principles.
Image  Plan in Brief
  • NFIB represents 16 million small and independent businesses; with 350,000 members, it is the nation’s largest small business lobbying group.
  • Solutions Start Here is based on NFIB’s platform, Small Business Principles for Healthcare Reform. The ten principles are universal, private, affordable, unbiased, competitive, portable, transparent, efficient, evidence-based, and realistic.
  • NFIB supports universal health care.
Read More»
E-mail to friends
National Small Business Association
America's Small Business Advocate		 Plan StatusOngoing advocacy.Number of People CoveredAll Americans.
Estimated CostNot addressed.
Payment Scheme NSBA’s plan would limit health care coverage to a basic level available via employer-based coverage, individually purchased coverage, or government programs and would provide federal need-based subsidies. Savings would come from better consumer decision making about care, pay for performance, and improved health care quality achieved via electronic advances.
Image  Plan in Brief
  • NSBA advocates on issues important to the success of small businesses and provides news, education, and leadership opportunities to its small business members.
  • Broad health care reform is one of NSBA’s current top priorities.
  • NSBA has determined that its position on health care must address health care in general; improvements for small businesses cannot be achieved otherwise.
Read More»
E-mail to friends
Physicians for a National Health Plan
Mission: Universal, comprehensive, single-payer national health insurance 		Plan Status Proposed. PNHP's National Health Insurance Bill (HR 676) was introduced to the House on 1/24/07; on 2/2/07 it was referred to the House Subcomittee on Health. The group is waging an ongoing campaign for the passage of the U.S. National Health Insurance Act into law. Number of People Covered All U.S. residents, including documented and undocumented immigrants. Estimated Cost PNHP asserts that their plan would save enough administrative costs (more than $350 billion per year) to offset the cost of high-quality universal coverage. Payment Scheme The plan would be funded by taxes and an increase in public health funding. Public funds already funneled to Medicare and Medicaid would be retained.
The gap between current public funding and what would be needed for a universal care would be financed by a payroll tax on employers (about 7%) and an income tax on individuals (about 2%). The payroll tax on employers would replace all other employer expenses for employees' health care. The income tax on individuals would take the place of all current insurance premiums, co-pays, deductibles, and other out-of-pocket payments.
Image  Plan in Brief
  • PNHP advocates for a single-payer national health insurance plan. The organization focuses on this single issue and has a membership of more than 15,000 physicians, medical students, and health care professionals.
  • The proposed plan would insure all U.S. residents--including docmented and undocumented immigrants. It would cost less to administer than the existing for-profit system, which PNHP views as focused on the profits of investors and executives rather than on the care of patients.
  • The plan would be publicly administered by a health planning board made up of medical experts, and representatives of patients, providers, business, and government. The board would also allocate money for new investments and research.
  • The plan would cover, through the single payer, all medically necessary care including doctor visits, hospital care, prescriptions, mental health services, nursing home care, rehab, home care, eye care, and dental care. The plan would also cover clinically-proven alternative care.
Read More»
E-mail to friends
The Leapfrog Group
     		 Plan StatusOngoing advocacy and pay-for-performance programs.Number of People CoveredAll those whose health care is subsidized by employers and other large private and public health care purchasers.Estimated CostNot addressed.
Payment Scheme Leapfrog members agree to make health care purchasing decisions based on principles designed to improve quality of health care delivered and to encourage consumer participation. According to Leapfrog, if three of four improvement “leaps” were enacted by all hospitals, then each year more than 65,000 lives would be saved, more than 907,000 errors would be avoided, and up to $41.5 billion in health care costs would be saved.
Image  Plan in Brief
  • The Leapfrog Group is an initiative begun by large employers who recognized that their expenditures on health care did not come with guarantees of quality or positive outcomes.
  • The group now represents organizations that purchase health insurance and aims to optimize employers’ purchasing power to drive the health care industry to achieve improvements in health care quality, value, and safety.
  • Members represent more than 34 million Americans and more than $62 billion in health care costs.
  • The group advocates four “leaps” to improve quality and safety: Computer Physician Order Entry, Evidence-Based Hospital Referral, specialist intensive care unit staffing, and the Leapfrog Safe Practices Score.
Read More»