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HRD-92-27R 1 (1992-03-12)

handle is hein.gao/gaobacjzk0001 and id is 1 raw text is: MAR-1B-1992 10:08 FROM HRD Health Fin&Pol IU United Staem Genera Accounting Office Wsshinton, D.C. 20548 Humanl Resources Division Ijf iJJJ B-245950 146147 March 12, 1992 The Honorable John D. Dingell Chairman, Committee on Energy and Commerce House of Representatives The Honorable Ron Wyden House of Representatives In response to your equest, GAO is currently assessing state-level small group health insurance market reforms. In light of current congressional consideration of potential federal small group market reform, you asked us to briefly summarize our preliminary findings on this ongoing work and any earlier work we completed related to this issue. Small Group Reforms Will Raise Costs for Some and Reduce Costs for Others GAO initially identified the developing crisis of affordability and availability of health insurance for small firms in a 1990 report to the Committee on Energy and Commerce--Health Insurance: Cost Increases Lead to Coverage Limitations and Cost Shiftinq (GAO/HRD 90-68). In recent testimony before the Subcommittee on Health, House Committee on Ways and Means, we discussed serious problems caused by underwriting and rating practices in the small group health insurance market.' In our earlier work. we pointed out that while reforms addressing availability and equity in the small group market were needed to deal with these problems, these proposed reforms would not address several key issues. The rating reforms will narrow the range of health insurance premium costs among firms; they do not reduce premiums overall. By requiring the inclusion of high-cost individuals into group plans, the recommended reforms will cause those currently paying the lowest premiums to pay 'Private Health Insurance: Problems Caused by a Segmented Market, GAO/T-HRD-91-21, May 2, 1991. 1 GAO/HRD-92-27R, Small Group Market Reforms

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