From the August 2009 issue of Ceridian Connection.

According to the National Business Group on Health, the legislation recently approved by the House Committee on Energy & Commerce, HR 3200, would guarantee insurance coverage and renewal of coverage with no annual or lifetime limits or preexisting condition exclusions. It would prohibit insurers from charging higher rates based on health status or gender. Under the proposed bills, the federal government, in cooperation with the states, would take a more aggressive stance in regulating the underwriting practices of health insurance carriers -- long a barrier to insurance coverage for many Americans.

Remarkably, the insurance industry has endorsed many of these proposals. Unlike 1993-1994, when the industry led the successful effort to defeat President Clinton's reform initiative, America's Health Insurance Providers AHIP now support bipartisan healthcare reform legislation, including insurance market reform.

Four consensus issues	SPACE	Four roadblocks to reform
Insurance market reform	SPACE	Financing healthcare reform
Creation of a health insurance exchange	SPACE	Saving for out-of-pocket health costs: FSAs in the spotlight
Subsidies for lower income households	SPACE	Public plan option in the health insurance exchange
Support for wellness and prevention	SPACE	Employer mandate