AAHP pushes Medicare+Choice reform. (Short Takes).

The American Association of Health Plans is pushing its version of health care reform. In testimony before the Senate Finance Committee, AAHP President Karen Ignagni said, "The only certain path to long-term, structural reform of the Medicare program, including the addition of a prescription drug benefit, lies with a strong and stable Medicare+Choice program." She added Efforts that seek a different road to reform--including incremental changes that only tinker at the margins or shelter Medicare fee-for-service from genuine competition--are bound to fail to stabilize the overall program for current and future generations."

The AAHP wants Congress to undo the damage done by the 1997 Balanced Budget Act. According to the Association, last year's Balanced Budget Refinement Act was a step in the right direction, but did not go far enough. The Association estimates that more than 700,000 beneficiaries have had their coverage disrupted and millions more have experienced increased out-of-pocket costs and reduced benefits as a result of the BBA.

James A. Hawkins is Publisher of Healthcare Briefings, a newsletter available in print, on cossette, via fax, and on computer disk He can be reached at 800/338-5486.