Insurance Agent Organizations Lobby Hard Against Government Plan Option for Health Insurance Reform
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Insurance Agent Organizations Lobby Hard Against Government Plan Option for Health Insurance Reform
Huntley, Illinois – July 27, 2009 – More than 40 Illinois insurance agents participated in the Joint Agent/Broker Fly-in on July 14th-15th in Washington, D.C. to deliver their message on Federal Health Care Reform. John Garven, President and founder of Benico, Ltd., an insurance agency based in Huntley, Illinois, attended the event in his role of past president of the Illinois State Association of Health Underwriters (ISAHU). The event actually drew more than 1,200 agents from all over the country.
The 1,200 agents in attendance shared with more than 400 members of Congress that the nation’s agent / broker community supports significant insurance and other systemic reforms but strongly oppose a Government Plan Option which has the very real potential to destroy the private health insurance market. They also stressed that government bureaucrats and call centers cannot match the service and value that agents and brokers bring to their clients.
All four national agent/broker associations including the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU), the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA), the Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers (CIAB), and the National Association of Insurance & Financial Advisors (NAIFA) coordinated this event. In addition to attending the joint legislative briefing, members of the Illinois associations met with both U.S. Senators and most of the Illinois Congressional delegation on Wednesday, July 15th.
As the House and Senate actively debate comprehensive health care reform legislation, the joint grassroots fly-in provided an opportunity for the health insurance agent and broker community to send a strong message to Congress to preserve the private delivery of health insurance and to oppose the creation of a government-run public plan.
On July 14th, the House of Representatives unveiled its version of reform which runs over 1,000 pages and costs more than one trillion dollars. The Senate’s Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) released its bill out of committee on July 15th, but the Committee on Finance continues in its deliberations.
The landscape for reform looks like this: Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the three committees of jurisdiction in the House, Ways & Means, Energy & Commerce, and Education & Labor, will finish marking up their joint bill and possibly bring the bill up for a vote in the House before the House adjourns on July 31st for the August recess. Republicans will remain unified in their opposition and many “Blue Dogs,” or conservative democrats, will also oppose the bill. The Senate will take more time as the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions bill will have to be reconciled with the yet-to-be unveiled Senate Finance Committee version which is expected to be more conservative in its approach. It remains to be seen if Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Montana) can work an agreement with Republican Senators Grassley, Hatch, Snowe and Ensign that would bring the republican caucus on board. Meanwhile, President Obama will devote the considerable power of his office to continue pushing for his top domestic priority while staying out of the particular details of the debate.
In addition to the fly-in ISAHU, in coordination with Independent Insurance Agents of IL and NAIFA IL, has conducted in-district meetings during June and July with most of the Illinois Congressional Delegation including: Debbie Halvorson, Daniel Lipinski, Jerry Costello, Jesse Jackson, Melissa Bean, Bill Foster, Jan Schakowsky, John Shimkus and Aaron Schock. Association members also attended town-hall meetings or met individually with Representatives Phil Hare, Danny Davis, Mark Kirk, Tim Johnson, Peter Roskam and Don Manzullo.
Contact:
John Garven
john.garven@benico.com
PO Box 8, Huntley, IL
847-669-4800 x202
