The Business Council responds to SCOTUS decision on the Affordable Care Act

ALBANY, NY (06/28/2012)(readMedia)-- "Today's Supreme Court decision will have little immediate impact on the health insurance issues affecting New York State employers. The cost of health care remains the top cost-of-doing-business issue for Business Council members. Employers struggle with high group coverage costs, high state imposed taxes and surcharges and an ever–expanding list of coverage mandates. Nothing in today's ruling helps 'bend the cost curve' or addresses the issues driving health care costs and utilization in New York State, which make the State one of the most expensive health insurance markets in the nation and a tremendous burden on large and small employers.

Prior to today's decision New Yorkers were already subject to a long list of state-imposed coverage mandates on private insurance. In addition, in 2011, New York adopted a number Affordable Care Act 'reforms' including no coverage limitation on 'essential' health care benefits, extending health plan coverage of 'children' of insured up to the age of 26, restriction on exclusions for pre-existing conditions, community rating and others that remain as State-level mandates regardless of additional federal action. Unlike many of our sister states, we have already seen how dozens of mandates have dramatically driven up costs and limited choice in the marketplace in our State.

The Business Council will continue to address key health care reform issues. As an example, we will work to assure that New York's Health Exchange development will have full and transparent stakeholder participation. Insurers, agents, brokers, chambers of commerce and employers must be involved in all stages of development of the exchange to ensure that New York will have as robust a health insurance market and health care delivery system as possible given today's decision.

New York's businesses remain as challenged and as disadvantaged as they were before today's ruling. The state needs to take this opportunity to fix problems in its individual and small group markets. What New York must not do, is further burden employers with higher premiums or new taxes to pay for a health exchange and ever increasing mandates."

- Heather Briccetti, president and CEO of The Business Council of New York State, Inc.