70 National Groups Join CU in Opposition to MSAs For Persons Under 65

Seventy National Groups Join Consumers Union in Opposition to Medical Savings Accounts for Persons Under 65

Our organizations urge you not to derail passage of the Senate version of H.R. 3103. We are concerned that your support of Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs) will threaten the enactment of this bill that passed unanimously. We believe that this bill should not be loaded up with anti-consumer provisions. MSAs are harmful to consumers for the following reasons:

MSAs can drive up premiums in traditional health insurance plans as much as 61 percent, making health coverage unaffordable for many Americans.
High-deductible catastrophic plans present financial barriers, preventing many Americans from getting cost-saving preventive and other health care.
According to the Joint Tax Committee, MSAs would drain $1.8 billion from federal revenues, compounding the budget deficit.

We firmly believe that H.R. 3103 represents a positive step towards achieving greater access to health care for many Americans and, therefore, should be adopted without any further delay. Our organizations would like to arrange a meeting with you and your staff to the discuss the major risks that MSAs pose for consumers and taxpayers.

Thank you for your consideration of this matter. We look forward to working with you as consideration of the Senate version of H.R. 3103 proceeds.

Sincerely,

AIDS Action Council
AIDS National Interfaith Network
American Association for Respiratory Care
American Association on Mental Retardation
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
American Federation of Teachers
American Foundation for the Blind
American Network of Community Options and Resources
American Nurses Association
American Public Health Association
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Association for Education of Community-Based Rehabilitation Personnel
Association of Schools of Public Health
Brain Injury Association
Center for Women Policy Studies
Center on Disability and Health
Church Women United
Citizen Action
Committee for Children
Communications Workers for America
Consumers Union
Families USA
Funders Concerned About AIDS
Gay Men's Health Crisis
Gray Panthers
Human Rights Campaign
International Union of Electronic, Electrical, Salaried, Machine and Furniture Workers (IUE)
Justice for All
National Asian Pacific Center on Aging
National Association of Developmental Disabilities Councils
National Association of People with AIDS
National Association of Protection and Advocacy Systems
National Association of Public Hospitals
National Association of School Psychologists
National Association of Social Workers
National Association of State Directors of Special Education
National Black Women's Health Project
National Caucus and Center on Black Aged, Incorporated
National Community Mental Healthcare Council
National Council of Senior Citizens
National Education Association
National Episcopal AIDS Coalition
National Famers Union
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
National Hispanic Council on Aging
National Mental Health Association
National Minority AIDS Council
National MS Society
National Native American AIDS Prevention Center
National Parent Network on Disabilities
National Puerto Rican Coalition
National Organization for Rare Disorders
National Osteoporosis Foundation
National Task Force on AIDS Prevention
National Therapeutic Recreation Society
Neighbor To Neighbor
NETWORK: A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby
Older Womens League
Service Employees International Union
The Association for the Care of Children's Health
The ARC
The Council for Exceptional Children
The Learning Disabilities Association
UAW
United Cerebral Palsy Associations
United Church of Christ, Office for Church in Society
United Mine Workers of America
Women's Legal Defense Fund

This letter comes from the Consumers Union Washington D.C. office.

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