Statement on CMS Final Rule to Stabilize Health Insurance Marketplaces

Tom Nickels
AHA Executive Vice President

The Health Insurance Marketplaces continue to face challenges related to plan pricing and participation, putting consumer access to coverage at risk. The AHA is committed to ensuring that all Americans have affordable coverage, and we commend the Administration today for finalizing several policies that will help keep the marketplaces as a source of coverage for millions of Americans. We urge the agency to monitor implementation of these policies and take swift action to remedy any barriers to coverage or care that may arise, such as in vulnerable communities that rely on essential community providers.

At a more fundamental level, we remain deeply concerned that the most critical challenge facing the marketplaces today is unresolved: assurance that funding for cost-sharing reductions will be available to insurers. We recently communicated this concern to the administration and Congress and urge them to work together to ensure such funding is available.

About the AHA

The AHA is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the health improvement of their communities. The AHA is the national advocate for its members, which include nearly 5,000 hospitals, health care systems, networks, other providers of care and 43,000 individual members. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends. For more information, visit the AHA website at www.aha.org.