Washington, DC, June 28, 2012 – The United States Supreme Court ruled today on the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), with the individual mandate being upheld under the Congressional power of taxation. Janet Trautwein, CEO of the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU), made the following statement in response to the Court’s decision:
“This ruling offers some clarity on the future of the health insurance industry and allows American individuals, families and businesses to adjust to the law. While we still have concerns that PPACA does not address the true drivers of health insurance costs in this country, and the law is having a huge and costly compliance burden on American employers, it is our responsibility as industry leaders to move forward within the constraints of the law to help Americans access high-quality, affordable healthcare.
“There are still legislative actions that can be taken to fix parts of the law, and though we support many of these efforts, our focus is to help our customers transition to the regulations, policies and procedures the law outlines.
“As insurance professionals, our job is to assure full-scale implementation of PPACA will continue and to help our individual and employer clients with the transition and compliance requirements the law entails. Our efforts to enroll individuals in high-risk pools, Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP programs will continue as we work to lower the number of uninsured Americans.
“It is imperative that the Administration and regulatory agencies provide information in a timely manner on the many aspects of PPACA that remain unclear. The changes to pricing and standards of coverage, employer responsibilities, uncertain tax provisions, state exchanges and many other issues must be addressed in a clear and cost-effective manner that provides individuals, families and employers continued access to proven tools that enable agents to provide affordable coverage.
“We look forward to having ongoing dialogue with lawmakers on both the federal and state levels to find solutions that ensure all Americans receive the benefits they deserve at a price they can afford.”
The National Association of Health Underwriters represents 100,000 professional health insurance agents and brokers who provide insurance for millions of Americans. NAHU is headquartered in Washington, DC. For more information about NAHU, please contact Kelly Loussedes at 202-595-3074 or e-mail kloussedes@nahu.org.
