Statement from Kev Coleman, president of AssociationHealthPlans.com, on Association Health Plan Appeal

NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Health policy expert Kev Coleman, president and founder of AssociationHealthPlans.com, today issued the following statement regarding the Department of Labor's announced legal appeal of Judge Bates' late March rejection of the 2018 regulation expanding access to association health plans:

AssociationHealthPlans.com is the leading online resource supporting the emerging association health plans market. It answers a variety of questions facing those interested in launching new association plans. (PRNewsfoto/AssociationHealthPlans.com)

"This appeal is welcomed by associations across the country who have invested their time, money and reputation to launch health plans under the 2018 regulation. This regulation marked a watershed in health policy inasmuch as it corrected a basic unfairness existing in health coverage costs between small companies and large companies. Prior to the regulation, small businesses faced the prospect of paying more than large companies for the same health benefits. The new regulation made it easier for small businesses and sole proprietors to band together and access the lower-cost large company health insurance market that already provides coverage to roughly 96 million Americans. At the same time, this regulation included important protections regarding pre-existing condition coverage, anti-fraud measures, and nondiscrimination requirements.

"Given the estimated 30,000 small business employees and dependents using these plans already, there is considerable urgency for a swift legal remedy to Judge Bates' rejection of the new association health plan regulation."

With the announcement of the appeal, it is worthwhile to note prevailing views on small companies using large company health insurance. A January 2019 health care survey by AssociationHealthPlans.com had found overwhelming public support for small businesses collaborating together to offer large company health insurance plans. Nearly four out of five survey respondents nationwide answered "yes" in response to the question, "Should small businesses & sole-proprietors be allowed to band together to offer the same kind of lower-cost health insurance plans that large companies already offer?"

Kev Coleman is founder and president of AssociationHealthPlans.com, the leading online resource supporting the emerging association health plans market. AssociationHealthPlans.com is headquartered outside Nashville, Tennessee.