HPA News

The New York Health Plan Association (HPA) today issued The Impact of Mandated Benefits on Health Care Costs, an issue brief that looks at benefit mandates, their impact on health insurance premiums, and policy recommendations legislators should consider. The key factors examined include:

• The number of mandated benefits, with New York requiring every health insurance policy to include or “make available” coverage for more than 45 specific treatments or services, and with more than 90 mandated proposals under consideration;
• Cost implications of benefit mandates, as New York consumers, employers and labor unions continue to face challenges for affordable health care coverage; and
• Developing a process for reviewing the cost of mandated benefits – both existing and proposed.

“The collective impact of mandated benefits contributes to the growth in health insurance premiums, adds to the cost of coverage for everyone – consumers, employers, union benefit funds and the state – and runs counter to efforts to make New York more affordable,” said Eric Linzer, President and CEO of HPA. “Before new mandated benefits are passed, there should be a process to analyze their impact on the affordability of coverage, so that there’s a clear understanding of what they cost.”

The issue brief is available on the HPA website here.