This was posted at www.asccan.org
S. 1955 is officially known as the Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act. It has also been referred to as the Small Business Health Plan bill and the Association Health Plan legislation.
S. 1955 would remove any guarantee of access for vital cancer screenings, prevention and treatments that are currently provided for under more than 130 state laws across the country. These include coverage for mammograms, colonoscopies, clinical trials participation and other screenings and treatments.
This bill would apply to the entire insurance market – not just for small businesses. That means that everyone who works for a private company, no matter its size, would lose their guarantee of access to the vital benefits.
The bill only requires that insurers offer employers the option of providing to their employees one plan similar to any one of the plans offered to state employees in any of the 5 most populous states. However, the bill does not require that employers offer this plan to their employees nor does it require that the plan be comprehensive in its coverage of important benefits like cancer screenings and treatments.
This bill would nullify all of ACS’ work in the states to guarantee access to mammography, colon cancer screening, clinical trial participation, off-label drug use and other cancer screenings and treatments.
The bill imposes a “one size fits all” federal rule on the states. State legislatures passed insurance requirements in response to a need in the states, and the federal government should not override these laws, especially since doing so will weaken cancer patients’ access to life-saving benefits.
Here are the Senator's that signed on to the program and are sipping the Kool-Aid.
Sen Allard, Wayne [CO] - 4/26/2006 Sen Burns, Conrad R. [MT] - 11/2/2005
Sen Burr, Richard [NC] - 3/7/2006 Sen Cornyn, John [TX] - 4/27/2006
Sen Craig, Larry E. [ID] - 4/5/2006 Sen Nelson, E. Benjamin [NE] - 11/2/2005
Sen Roberts, Pat [KS] - 3/27/2006