Choice and Flexibility

• Our state has too many uninsured. But in our haste to provide coverage to the uninsured, we must ensure that all Californians with health coverage continue to benefit from our state’s world class choice and flexibility in healthcare coverage options.

• The flexibility in the products we currently have has allowed California’s individual market to be the most affordable in the U.S. According to America’s Health Insurance Plans, California has the lowest average premiums for individuals and the 7th lowest for families. 2.6 million Californians are currently covered in our individual market.

• Many healthcare reform proposals, including AB1X, threaten the ability of these consumers to maintain their coverage. Such proposals, which call for basic coverage that exceeds the current policies of these individuals, present several problems:
• Some affordable insurance products could be outlawed,
• Consumers would face higher costs for health insurance, and
• These higher prices may leave many current consumers unable to afford any kind of healthcare coverage.

• AB1X also limits choice by allowing bureaucrats, not consumers, to design healthcare packages. They can mandate coverage that your family may not need and can’t afford. These mandates will make healthcare coverage MORE expensive and out of reach for California’s working families.

• Rather than increasing mandates and limiting coverage options, reforms should provide even more options like:
• Non-maternity benefits for seniors and men,
• Generic drug only benefits,
• Catastrophic coverage only plans, and
• Other products that reduce the overall cost of coverage.

• Additionally, families should not be penalized with limited consumer choice simply because they need financial assistance to purchase coverage. Premium assistance will allow individuals and families to have the choice and flexibility to purchase healthcare coverage that best fits their needs.

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