This message is from: "Mike May, Registrar NFHR" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
I received the following post from Jim Havelhurst - one of the NFHR's
Evaluators & a Horse show judge. I checked the AHC site & this is from
there and is real. Here is the URL for the American Horse Council:
http://www.horsecouncil.org/
Look under the "News Room"
Mike
This is very Urgent...
This is really scary, make sure you forward
this on to all the horse friends you know.
We need everyone to write letters.
I copied this from the American Horse Council
Web site. www.horsecouncil.org
Contact: American Horse Council
For Immediate Release
Phone: 202.296.4031
March 26, 2001
Federal Agencies Propose Adverse Rules
on Health Insurance Coverage for Riders
Regulations proposed by the Internal Revenue
Service, the Pension and Welfare Benefits
Administration and the Health Care Financing
Administration could affect people who enjoy
horseback riding (and other forms of recreation)
by permitting health insurers to exclude coverage
for injuries resulting from riding and other forms
of dangerous recreation. While the new
proposals state that an employer cannot refuse
health-care coverage to an employee based
on participation in recreational activities, they
permit health insurers to deny coverage for
injuries sustained in connection with such
recreational activities, effectively reaching
the same result.
The new regulations were jointly issued by
the three federal agencies as interim rules,
which means they are effective now.
But the public has until April 9 to comment
on the proposals and such comments will
be considered.
These proposed regulations permit exclusions
from health insurance coverage based on activities,
including horseback riding, that Congress
sought to protect.
In 1966, Congress passed the Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act.
As we read this Act, it was intended to prohibit
health insurers from denying health coverage
based on a worker's pre-existing medical condition
or participation in legal recreational activities.
The legislative history of the Act states that the law
"is intended to ensure, among other things,
that individuals are not excluded from health-care
coverage due to their participation in activities
such as motorcycling, snowmobiling, all-terrain
vehicle riding, horseback riding, skiing and other
similar activities."
Recreational groups, including the American
Horse Council, worked to have that language
included in the legislative history of the Act
because some employers and insurers were
discriminating against recreationalists, leaving
them without coverage if they were involved
in recreational pursuits.
Incidents of discrimination involved the denial
of health-care protection to employees not only
involved in illegal activities, like driving a car
while intoxicated, but also when involved in legal
recreational activities, such as those mentioned
above.
While the proposed rules prohibit a person
from being denied health insurance coverage
simply because he or she engages in riding,
they also permit an insurer to exclude benefits
for injuries suffered while engaged in such
activities.
This effectively excludes individuals engaged
in such activities.
The AHC will submit comments to the federal
agencies in opposition to this provision.
We urge any individual or equine organization
to do likewise.
Comments must be submitted by April 9 to:
CC:M&SP:RU (REG-109707-97)
Room 5226
Internal Revenue Service
P.O. Box 7604
Ben Franklin Station
Washington, DC 20044
U.S. Department of Labor
Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration
200 Constitution Avenue, NW
Room C-5331 - Attention: Nondiscrimination Comments
Washington, DC 20210
Health Care Financing Administration
Department of Health and Human Services
Attention: HCFA-2022-IFC
P.O. Box 26688
Baltimore, MD 21207
A sample letter follows.
Please retype it on your stationary and
re-draft it to make it as personal as
possible. This will give it more weight.
Send the same letter to each agency.
Do not simply send this memo in to
the agencies.
************
April X, 2001
CC:M&SP:RU (REG-109707-97)
Room 5226
Internal Revenue Service
P.O. Box 7604
Ben Franklin Station
Washington, DC 20044
U.S. Department of Labor
Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration
200 Constitution Avenue, NW
Room C-5331 - Attention:
Nondiscrimination Comments
Washington, DC 20210
Health Care Financing Administration
Department of Health and Human Services
Attention: HCFA-2022-IFC
P.O. Box 26688
Baltimore, MD 21207
Dear Sir or Madam:
We are writing in opposition to the
non-discrimination regulations under the
Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (HIPAA) proposed by
your agency in January.
Like tens of millions of other American
we enjoy horseback riding.
We participate as follows
Obviously, if we are unable to purchase
health insurance that protects us as we
participate in this legal activity, it will
affect our continued participation.
These rules will affect more than just us.
An economic study commissioned by the
American Horse Council shows that
recreational horseback riding has a
$23.8 billion economic impact in the U.S.,
supports 317,000 jobs and involves
3 million horses.
This segment of the American horse industry
is growing rapidly. Horse owners, breeders,
stables, outfitters, dude ranches, veterinarians
and feed and tack stores all rely on the
individual rider.
The rules your agency proposes will
adversely affect this entire industry.
We support the original Congressional
intent of the bill, which is to protect individuals
like horseback riders from being discriminated
against and denied health insurance coverage
simply because they are participating in a legal,
recreational activity.
We urge you to change the proposed rules
to ensure medical coverage, including benefits,
for injuries that may occur while riding and
engaging in other legal, recreational activities.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
=======================================================
Norwegian Fjord Horse Registry
Mike May, Registrar
Voice 716-872-4114
FAX 716-787-0497
http://www.nfhr.com
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
