ERIC Outlines Top Health Priorities for Congress in New Letter

WASHINGTON, March 13 -- The ERISA Industry Committee issued the following news release:

The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) submitted a letter to the U.S. Senate, Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on specific legislative solutions for reducing health care costs.

In the letter, ERIC outlined its top three priorities for the 116th Congress:

* Eliminating the ACA imposed a 40% "Cadillac" excise tax on high-cost employer-sponsored health insurance

* Eliminating surprise medical billing

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* Addressing high prescription drug costs

ERIC, a leader in the fight against rising drug costs, suggested several ways to address the crisis, including:

* Ensuring changes to the rebate system reduce costs and preserve the ability to negotiate

* Addressing patent evergreening

* Banning abusive couponing

* Banning abusive practices such as pay-for-delay and misuse of patient safety protocols

* Easing value-based contracting for prescription drugs and devices

In addition to the three priority areas, ERIC also laid out other areas for bipartisan cooperation:

* Providing relief for health savings accounts (HSAs) and high deductible health plans (HDHPs)

* Providing clarity on wellness programs

* Preventing abuse by "Big Dialysis"

* Implementing value-driven innovations in Medicare

* Providing market stabilization and employer mandate relief

* Empowering states to address air ambulance issues

"The 116th Congress has the opportunity to make historic advances in the quality and cost reduction of health care in this country," said James Gelfand, Senior Vice President of Health Policy, ERIC." "ERIC believes by the addressing the changes we outlined in our letter, plan sponsors and their beneficiaries will save more than a trillion dollars and be able to make better decisions about their care through more transparent policies."

About the ERISA Industry Committee

The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) is the only national association that advocates exclusively for large employers on health, retirement, and compensation public policies at the state, federal, and local levels. Learn more at eric.org.