U.S. Chamber, NFIB, NAM, Business Roundtable, and PhRMA Oppose House Bill, AHIP says Bill Will Raise Prices

From Jeffrey Young at The Hill:

“A coalition of big-business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable and the National Association of Manufacturers, issued a letter opposing the House bill outright.

“The legislation falls short of the bipartisan goal of controlling costs and jeopardizes employer-sponsored coverage which now serves more than 160 million Americans,” the groups said in a point-by-point criticism of the bill.

The House bill is the “‘how to’ on how not to do healthcare reform,” said Brad Close, vice president of the National Federation of Independent Business, which represents small businesses. “It will actually harm small-business owners with its expensive employer mandates, punitive payroll taxes and new government-run program.”

And PhRMA:

“We continue to oppose the approach the House is taking,” said Ken Johnson, senior vice president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). The House bill, he said, “contains a number of problematic provisions for seniors, patients and the continued development of new therapies.”

Here is AHIP’s conclusion about the bill:

“The House bill would result in “increasing healthcare costs for families and employers across the country and significantly disrupting the quality coverage on which millions of Americans rely today,” said Karen Ignagni, president and CEO of America’s Health Insurance Plans.”

From the Associated Press:

“Karen Ignani, the chief of the insurers’ main trade group, America’s Health Insurance Plans, said the so-called public option would “bankrupt hospitals, dismantle employer coverage, exacerbate cost-shifting from Medicare and Medicaid, and ultimately increase the federal deficit.” She said the result would be that many people, including seniors, would lose coverage or face higher costs.”