Foundation for Government Accountability Voices Support for Association Health Plans

NAPLES, Florida, Oct. 2 -- The Foundation for Government Accountability issued the following news:

By Whitney Munro

The Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) has joined a coalition to support and promote Association Health Plans (AHPs), ensuring that some of the currently uninsured, small businesses and entrepreneurs have more opportunities to buy affordable, quality health insurance.

FGA has long worked with policymakers to find solutions to rising health care costs. It now joins 15 other organizations committed to working with state and federal lawmakers to ensure common sense regulation of AHPs while providing flexibility for organizations to provide comprehensive health coverage to their employees.

AHPs offer an innovative way for some that are uninsured, small businesses, entrepreneurs, and their employees to access similar lower-cost, quality health coverage that large corporations have access to, and would reduce premiums by up to $10,000 per year compared to the individual market. New rules on AHPs:

* Would help self-employed individuals and entrepreneurs afford health coverage

* Allow businesses to pool together, regardless of industries

* Create more flexibility for small businesses and entrepreneurs, freeing up more resources to encourage more job opportunities

"Americans desperately need relief from rising premium costs and options such as AHPs are a positive step in that direction. AHPs offer generous coverage to employees, at a good value. AHPs allow small businesses and entrepreneurs to play on the same playing field as larger companies so they can obtain better deals for health insurance. This is a win-win for small business and their employees," said Josh Archambault, senior fellow at FGA.