“We continue to support bipartisan health care reform designed to slow the growth of health care costs, improve the quality of care, and increase access to coverage for more Americans.  If final health care legislation embraces all of these widely-shared goals, we will have made the most of this historic opportunity to improve American health care.  Unfortunately, the Senate bill, in its current form, will not bend the cost curve or work to improve the quality of care.

“There is still time to craft a bipartisan bill that will combine insurance reforms with measures to promote greater use of evidence-based care, address the variations in care throughout the country, increase transparency in cost and quality of care among providers, and discourage over-utilization of unnecessary services. 

“We support guaranteeing coverage for all individuals, regardless of their health, but the bill must include an effective requirement that all Americans purchase health insurance.  Otherwise, individuals will only purchase health insurance when they get sick and premiums will skyrocket.

“Health insurance premiums will also increase under the Senate bill’s annual $6.7 billion tax on health insurers.  This tax will increase Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey’s federal tax burden by $145 million. 

“The bill’s proposal to create a government-run health plan will also increase private health insurance premiums and threaten employer-based coverage, which means many Americans will not be able to keep their current health plan.

“We hope to have an opportunity to work with New Jersey’s Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez to improve the Senate bill before final passage. 

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About Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, the state’s oldest and largest health insurer, is a not-for-profit health services corporation.  Horizon BCBSNJ serves over 3.6 million members and is headquartered in Newark with offices in Wall, Mt. Laurel, and West Trenton.

Horizon BCBSNJ provides a wide variety of health and dental insurance products and services, including Medicare and Medicaid products, for businesses and individuals.  Horizon BCBSNJ is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.  Learn more at www.HorizonBlue.com.