At least for now, S. 1955 which would have allowed AHP (association health plans) to form, is dead.
A divisive bill that would have allowed health insurers to preempt state-mandated benefits in order to extend coverage to small businesses was defeated by the U.S. Senate late Thursday.
The Senate voted 55-43 to stop considering the Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act of 2006, or S. 1955, which was introduced last year by Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., and co-sponsored by Ben Nelson, D-Neb., and Conrad Burns, R-Mont.
The bill needed 60 votes to go on to a debate that would have led to a vote on final passage, said Zach Goldberg of the American Diabetes Association.