Health Care Coverage

health-care-reform

Keep Your Patients Covered

The American Health Care Act promises to protect a number of vital provisions. However, unless the present form of the act is changed, millions of currently enrolled patients stand to lose coverage.

Speak Out Now

Overview

As the frontline of our health care system, family physicians see the importance of health coverage on a daily basis. They also see the value of ensuring each patient is able to obtain health care coverage regardless of their gender, health history, or socioeconomic status.

Our health care system is not perfect, and there are clearly areas of our insurance and health care system that require additional reforms. That is why AAFP is committed to engaging in a dialogue to identify policies that strengthen our health care system and make health care more affordable for individuals and families. Some areas of the health care overhaul were clearly beneficial, and we believe that many of them should be preserved.

As the national dialogue shifts to coverage for all, the AAFP, in coalition with five other physician organizations representing more 560,000 family physicians, support the following:

Maintaining Coverage

Currently insured individuals should not lose their coverage as a result of any action or inaction by policymakers.

Patient-Centered Insurance Reforms

Preserve current coverage of essential benefits, as well as consumer and benefit protections.

System Reforms

The AAFP welcomes and encourages improvements upon current law to ensure a health care system optimized for patients and their physicians

Our Process Ahead

Changes to our healthcare system come with very high stakes – impacting tens of millions of our patients. Avoiding unintended adverse consequences when making legislative and regulatory changes can require a delicate balance. The AAFP therefore is hopeful that proposals to modify or improve on current law will be released in detail (including legislative language and CBO scores) before Congress votes.This can provide a valuable opportunity for analysis, review and input by our organizations and other stakeholders, by members of Congress, and by independent and nonpartisan analysts.Our intention is to evaluate such proposals based on whether they preserve and improve on the essential coverage, benefits and consumer protections described above, and on access to care for both insured and uninsured individuals, children and families.

AAFP Activities