Hospital, insurer, pharma lobbyists push back against public option
The calls for a government-run insurance option on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance exchanges are being met with resistance from groups that had supported the law.
The Hill reports the American Hospital Association is among those pushing back against President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton’s advocacy for the public option, arguing their goals should be addressing problems on the existing ACA marketplace.
“We think we need to make these [marketplaces] viable before we give any consideration of going to a public option,” AHA President Rick Pollack told an audience at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
America’s Health Insurance Plans and Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) are also against the idea of a public option, with PhRMA CEO and President Steve Ubl saying the idea was “rightly rejected” when the ACA was being debated in 2009 and 2010.
For more on industry resistance to the public option and how the upcoming election could affect its chance, click on the link below:
John joined TriMed in 2016, focusing on healthcare policy and regulation. After graduating from Columbia College Chicago, he worked at FM News Chicago and Rivet News Radio, and worked on the state government and politics beat for the Illinois Radio Network. Outside of work, you may find him adding to his never-ending graphic novel collection.