Statement on Executive Order to Promote Health Care Choice and Competition

Tom Nickels
Executive Vice President
American Hospital Association

October 12, 2017

Patients depend on comprehensive health insurance to access and afford the care they need, including services provided by America’s hospitals and health systems. Today’s Executive Order will allow health insurance plans that cover fewer benefits and offer fewer consumer protections. No one can predict future health care needs with complete certainty and such plans could put patients at risk when care is needed most.

In addition, these provisions could destabilize the individual and small group markets, leaving millions of Americans who need comprehensive coverage to manage chronic and other pre-existing conditions, as well as protection against unforeseen illness and injury, without affordable options. And, regarding consolidation, respected economic studies demonstrate that the hospital field's trajectory has resulted in both cost savings and quality improvements for the patients we serve.

The AHA is committed to ensuring that individuals and small businesses have affordable, comprehensive health care coverage options, and we encourage the Administration to achieve this goal without sacrificing critical consumer protections by stabilizing the individual and small group markets.

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.