May 7th, 2009 – Sandy Praeger, testified on behalf of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners at a Senate Finance Committee on health care coverage.
Praeger’s testimony was focused on the soaring increases in health care spending. “Health insurance reform will not solve the problem since insurance is primarily a method of financing health care costs,” said the Insurance Commissioner from Kansas. Praeger also advised that the state’s continue to have control over marketing practices, pointing out the rampant fraud and abusive marketing practices that harmed seniors that she said would have not occurred had states had oversight responsibility over private Medicare programs.
She also pointed out that because so many states handle health care differently, that a single federal plan could cause severe market disruptions as some young and healthy individuals may see their premiums increase dramatically. Praeger favored a system that would be gradually implemented over years and accompanied by subsidies.
