As White House convenes summit, Michigan Blues are model for post-reform health insurance industry

All eyes will focus on a televised health care reform summit today in Washington, where President Barack Obama is convening key Democratic and Republican lawmakers in an effort to jump-start legislation that has stalled in Congress.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan has long advocated for comprehensive reform and applauds efforts to refocus attention on this critical issue.



A lot has happened in the months since the U.S. House and Senate passed differing versions of reform legislation, and the focus in Washington has moved from health care reform to jobs and the economy. But the president has now proposed his own plan that he says borrows the best elements from the two bills and adds provisions favored by Republicans.

“What I will not do, what I don't think makes sense and I don't think the American people want to see, would be another year of partisan wrangling around these issues; another six months or eight months or nine months worth of hearings in every single committee in the House and the Senate in which there's a lot of posturing,” Obama told reporters recently. “Let's get the relevant parties together; let's put the best ideas on the table.”

The Blues continue to support reform that expands coverage to everyone, reins in costs, and improves the quality and safety of medical care for all Americans.

We believe we’re leading the way here in Michigan through our numerous clinical and research partnerships with providers and programs like our Patient-Centered Medical Home network, the nation’s largest. In addition, our unique social mission as a nonprofit insurer of last resort means we never reject people who seek coverage because of pre-existing conditions. Nor do we raise peoples’ rates when they get sick. To that end, we believe reform that creates a level playing field, with consistent rules for all insurers, best serves the country.

Check out the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association’s five-point reform plan Pathway to Covering America.

You can also view the White House’s reform plan here.