Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of health and human services (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius warned insurance executives Wednesday that failing to support President Obama's comprehensive plan to reform U.S. health care likely will result in their demise.
"We are in a situation where the market is unsustainable," Mrs. Sebelius said at the American Health Insurance Plans national policy conference in Washington. "You can choose to continue your opposition to reform. If you do and reform goes down in defeat, we know what will happen."
She said more Americans and businesses no longer will be able to afford or offer insurance if rates continue to increase.
"The much-better long-term model is a stable market instead of taxing [customers] with higher and higher premiums," Mrs. Sebelius told the group, which represents roughly 1,300 companies that provide insurance to more than 200 million customers.
Mrs. Sebelius asked the executives specifically to support the reform legislation now in Congress and show Americans why the cost of premiums have soared in recent years.
"Americans want to know," she said.
Mr. Obama in his effort to reform the health care system repeatedly has targeted the insurance industry for raising premium costs.
He has increased the intensity over the past couple of weeks, including a speech Monday in Philadelphia in which he said, "How much higher do premiums have to rise before we do something about it?"
Mrs. Sebelius originally declined to speak at the conference, then changed her mind earlier this week. She met Thursday at the White House with five chief executive officers from the insurance industry.
On the same day Mr. Obama spoke in Philadelphia, she sent a letter to insurance executives that in part stated: "At our meeting, you and your colleagues discussed the importance of addressing and controlling the underlying cost of health care. . . . To that end, I am reiterating the request to post on your Web sites the justification for any individual or small group rate increases you have implemented or proposed in 2010. . . . Posting this information will give Americans the opportunity to learn more and ask questions about rate increases that affect them."
Joseph Weber is a congressional reporter, his first job upon coming to Washington in 1992. Mr. Weber joined The Washington Times in 2002 as a metro desk editor and ran the section for several years, working on such stories as the Virginia Tech massacre, the Supreme Court case on the District's handgun law, the D.C. snipers and the 2008 presidential ...
By Jeannine Aversa - Associated Press
updated 46 minutes ago
The recovery lost momentum in the spring as growth slowed to a 2.4 percent pace, its most sluggish showing in nearly a year and too weak to drive down unemployment. Published 8:33 a.m. July 30, 2010
By Sean Lengell - The Washington Times
The House ethics committee officially lodged charges against Rep. Charles B. Rangel, including that he used his office to raise $8 million for a college public policy center named after him and didn't file taxes while he was Congress' chief tax writer. Published 8:56 p.m. July 29, 2010
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
A conservative satirist takes on the worlds of politics and entertainment in humorous pursuit of truth, justice, and all things America.
Join Matt on weekly adventures in all forms as he pushes his comfort levels in attempt to stimulate body, mind, and soul.
A slice of suburban family life from the diverse perspectives of a politically-minded mom.
Join the Evolution with Adam Omkara! Empowering, cutting edge mind/body/spirit and health dialogue.
