Joe Pozer
05-09-01, 12:25 PM
I believe someone had posted a thread in here earlier concerning the health insurance accountability act. This is IMBA's resonponse...This was posted in Dirtworl.com and can also be seen on IMBA'S own website, IMBA.com. I think that statement number 3 is a very important point.
IMBA Fires Back!
Tim Blumenthal - IMBA Executive Director
April 6, 2001
Re: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) is a non-profit, 501(c)3, membership organization representing the interests of mountain bicyclists nationwide. Please accept the following as the IMBA official comments regarding proposed regulations implementing the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
We commend the original intention of the HIPAA to prohibit health insurers from denying health coverage based on a worker's preexisting medical condition or participation in certain types of legal recreational activities, specifically motorcycling, horseback riding, ATV-use, snowmobiling, skiing and other similar activities.
We do not, however, support the modification to this act which makes it legal for insurance agencies to deny coverage to individuals injured while participating in motorcycling, horseback riding, ATV-use, snowmobiling, skiing and other similar activities.
IMBA has three complaints about this modification:
1. The modification obviates the original intent of HIPAA. Why would the act make it illegal to discriminate against individuals based on the activities they participate in, but then state that participants can be discriminated against if they get hurt in that said activity? Clearly this is a contradiction.
2. Bicycling and mountain biking are not included among the five activities listed, but could conceivably be grouped in the vague wording "and other similar activities." What criteria were used to select motorcycling, horseback riding, ATV-use, snowmobiling and skiing as the five named high-risk activities? Were they selected based on factual injury statistics and health care costs, or were they selected arbitrarily using preconceived personal perceptions? The vague phrase, "and other similar activities", would allow insurance providers to decide to add bicycling to the high-risk activities group regardless of actual risk statistics.
3. Should an insurance agency choose not to provide coverage to cyclists, IMBA is very concerned that people would reduce their riding, or give up the activity altogether for fear of not being able to afford medical coverage should they get hurt. This would be a travesty. Several Surgeon Generals, the Center for Disease Control and a number of state public health offices have specifically and actively encouraged citizens to ride bicycles both on and off roads. Indeed, if people spent as much time riding their bikes as they do watching television or driving their cars, heart disease, cancer, obesity and other health conditions that plague this nation and skyrocket medical costs would be drastically reduced. IMBA believes that the health benefits of cycling far outweigh the potential risks.
In conclusion, IMBA supports HIPAA's original intention to eliminate health insurance discrimination against individuals based on the activity they participate in. We ask, however, that the modification that denies coverage to individuals injured while participating in motorcycling, horseback riding, ATV-use, snowmobiling, skiing and other similar activities be removed completely.
Please contact us if we can provide you with further information.
Regards,
Tim Blumenthal - IMBA Executive Director
For additional information and news on the good work IMBA does on behalf of mountain bikers everywhere, visit www.IMBA.com.
IMBA Fires Back!
Tim Blumenthal - IMBA Executive Director
April 6, 2001
Re: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) is a non-profit, 501(c)3, membership organization representing the interests of mountain bicyclists nationwide. Please accept the following as the IMBA official comments regarding proposed regulations implementing the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
We commend the original intention of the HIPAA to prohibit health insurers from denying health coverage based on a worker's preexisting medical condition or participation in certain types of legal recreational activities, specifically motorcycling, horseback riding, ATV-use, snowmobiling, skiing and other similar activities.
We do not, however, support the modification to this act which makes it legal for insurance agencies to deny coverage to individuals injured while participating in motorcycling, horseback riding, ATV-use, snowmobiling, skiing and other similar activities.
IMBA has three complaints about this modification:
1. The modification obviates the original intent of HIPAA. Why would the act make it illegal to discriminate against individuals based on the activities they participate in, but then state that participants can be discriminated against if they get hurt in that said activity? Clearly this is a contradiction.
2. Bicycling and mountain biking are not included among the five activities listed, but could conceivably be grouped in the vague wording "and other similar activities." What criteria were used to select motorcycling, horseback riding, ATV-use, snowmobiling and skiing as the five named high-risk activities? Were they selected based on factual injury statistics and health care costs, or were they selected arbitrarily using preconceived personal perceptions? The vague phrase, "and other similar activities", would allow insurance providers to decide to add bicycling to the high-risk activities group regardless of actual risk statistics.
3. Should an insurance agency choose not to provide coverage to cyclists, IMBA is very concerned that people would reduce their riding, or give up the activity altogether for fear of not being able to afford medical coverage should they get hurt. This would be a travesty. Several Surgeon Generals, the Center for Disease Control and a number of state public health offices have specifically and actively encouraged citizens to ride bicycles both on and off roads. Indeed, if people spent as much time riding their bikes as they do watching television or driving their cars, heart disease, cancer, obesity and other health conditions that plague this nation and skyrocket medical costs would be drastically reduced. IMBA believes that the health benefits of cycling far outweigh the potential risks.
In conclusion, IMBA supports HIPAA's original intention to eliminate health insurance discrimination against individuals based on the activity they participate in. We ask, however, that the modification that denies coverage to individuals injured while participating in motorcycling, horseback riding, ATV-use, snowmobiling, skiing and other similar activities be removed completely.
Please contact us if we can provide you with further information.
Regards,
Tim Blumenthal - IMBA Executive Director
For additional information and news on the good work IMBA does on behalf of mountain bikers everywhere, visit www.IMBA.com.