HuffPo - "GOP Reform Proposal Borrows Heavily From AHIP's Approach"

Here is the latest from GOP's health care reform effort, which simply rubber stamps a health insurance industry wish list:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/07/gop-reform-pro...

GOP Reform Proposal Borrows Heavily From AHIP's Approach

House Republicans introduced their outlines for health care reform this past week to much anticipation. The minority leadership had pledged to produce a bill roughly 140 days earlier and finally, health care watchers would get to see an alternative product.

Turns out, the GOP's bill could have been read earlier. At least three key reform proposals put forth by Republicans in the House of Representatives mirror the suggestions put forth by the lobbying entity of the private insurance industry way back in December 2008.

Under the America's Health Insurance Plans "Vision for Reform," for instance, a $50 billion federal performance grant program would be established to "assist states in expanding access to coverage." Under the GOP proposal, the same pool of cash -- $50 billion -- would be established to provide "incentives to states who adopt reforms that reduce the cost of health insurance and expand coverage."

Under AHIP's proposal, states would be required to create "Guarantee Access Plans" that would be available to enrollees "with the highest expected medical costs." These plans - loosely modeled on state high-risk pools (where individuals would be eligible if there claims were expected to be more than twice the statewide average) found their way into the GOP proposal. The Republican plan would require states to establish "Universal Access Programs" that would be supplemented by $25 billion in federal funds.