FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 19, 2018
Statement attributable to:
Michael Munger, MD
President
American Academy of Family Physicians
“The American Academy of Family Physicians is concerned with the final rule that allows small businesses to buy health insurance for their employees through association health plans.
“The association health plans rule would allow insurers to sell narrow, low-cost health plans that may not provide meaningful coverage. While they may extend limited access to insurance for currently uninsured individuals, they likely will accomplish this through offering inadequate benefits and coverage or by charging extra for riders such as maternity care, lab services, prescriptions or hospitalization. Women and older, sicker Americans would likely face higher costs and fewer affordable insurance options.
“The AAFP strongly supports the goal of providing robust access to affordable health care coverage for all Americans, but we are concerned that the association health plans rule will move us further away from that goal. We remain committed to a health care system that meets the health needs of all Americans.”
Editor's Note: To arrange an interview with Dr. Munger, contact Leslie Champlin, (800) 274-2237, Ext. 6252, or lchampli@aafp.org.
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About the American Academy of Family Physicians
The AAFP is the largest national association of family physicians, representing 128,300 physicians and medical students. Family medicine’s cornerstone is an ongoing, personal patient-physician relationship focused on impactful care for people of all ages, races and genders across all medical conditions. The AAFP supports every stage of a family physician's career and provides evidence-based resources, advocacy and community to empower family medicine. To learn more, visit aafp.org. For information about health care, medical conditions and wellness, please visit the AAFP’s patient education website, familydoctor.org.