Making the Rounds: PGH-AHU meets with local Members of Congress
By Doug Moore, PGH-AHU Legislative Chair
Every year in March the NAHU holds their annual Capitol Conference in Washington D.C. This is our opportunity to visit Capitol Hill and meet with staff members of our local Members of Congress. However, in our last three trips to D.C. only once, in 2002, did we actually get to meet with a Member of Congress in person, when Mike Doyle took some time to sit down with us. That is not a problem because staff members are often more knowledgeable about our particular issues. However, it is important to get some face time with our Members of Congress to continue to increase their awareness of our organization.
To that end, I recently visited the local offices of Congressman Mike Doyle, Congresswoman Melissa Hart, and a Congressman Tim Murphy. I was able to meet personally with Congressman Doyle and Congresswoman Hart for 45 minutes each. Congressman Murphy ended up being unavailable the day of our appointment so I met with a very competent local staffer instead.
I thanked Congressman Doyle for his opposition to HR 660, which the House ultimately passed in August. Congressman Doyle is against AHP’s because he understands the damage they can do the insurance market. As a licensed insurance agent himself, Congressman Doyle has always been well educated on our issues and an important ally for NAHU. Congressman Doyle also had quite a few questions about long-term care insurance and how long-term care insurance products are distributed at the workplace. We talked about the importance of allowing group long-term care insurance to be purchased through Section 125 plans. He indicated support for Congresswoman Nancy Johnson’s bill that would allow just that.
Congresswoman Hart has always been a good friend to the NAHU dating back to her time serving in the Pennsylvania State Senate. Congresswoman Hart voted for HR 660 as did Congressman Murphy. Being a political realist this really should not be that surprising since President Bush is supported of AHP’s and it did not make much sense for our Republican friends to oppose him on this. It is widely accepted that AHP’s are unlikely to make it out of the Senate, rendering this bill largely harmless. However, I did challenge the Congresswoman on her position. She believes that our concerns about the damage AHP’s would do to the small group insurance market are overstated. She likened our rhetoric to what she heard from insurance agents when banks were allowed into the insurance marketplace a few years ago. I explained to her that this was a completely different set of circumstance and that her analogy was frankly invalid. Ending on a positive note, I was able to secure her commitment to meet with PGH-AHU members on this issue again if the Senate does pass AHU legislation and the bill then goes to a conference committee.
