mr. speaker , i rise today in strong opposition to h.r. 525 , the regurgitated association health plan , ahp , bill .  this is the fourth vote on this exact same legislation in as many years .  so , if my statement sounds familiar , that 's because it has all been said before .  while they 've titled the bill the small business health fairness act , its impact would be the opposite .  this bill would have the perverse effect of increasing the cost of health insurance for many people and increase the number of people without health insurance altogether .  this bill would allow new entities , called association health plans , ahps , to bypass state regulation and offer bare-bones health insurance policies .  small businesses that do n't choose to offer these inadequate policies would see their premiums increase by 23 percent on average .  this premium hike would occur because ahps , which would offer only bare-bones coverage , would attract the healthiest individuals , leaving traditional health insurance plans with the sickest and most expensive patients .  this shift would penalize businesses with sicker employees , and make health insurance for those who need it the most even more unaffordable .  further , this legislation would swell the ranks of the uninsured by over 1 million more individuals .  as traditional health insurance becomes increasingly expensive , more and more businesses would have no choice but to drop health insurance for their employees , leaving these individuals with little or no opportunity to purchase health coverage .  contrary to what proponents of this bill claim , ahps would not truly help small businesses purchase health insurance for their employees .  although proponents claim that ahps would give small employers bargaining power to purchase affordable health insurance , most states already have laws in place that allow for group purchasing arrangements .  this bill would only harm existing laws while usurping the traditional role of states to regulate insurance .  in fact , this bill would override key state laws and regulations that protect millions of americans .  for example , many states regulate insurance premiums to prevent insurers from discriminating against the ill .  but under this bill those laws would n't apply .  ahps would be allowed to offer extremely low , `` teaser '' rates , and then rapidly increase the premium if the enrollee becomes sick .  furthermore , nearly all states have enacted external review laws that guaranteed patients an independent doctor review if a health plan denies them coverage for a particular service .  patients who join ahps would lose this vitally important consumer protection .  this bill also exempts ahps from state laws that require health insurance to cover particular benefits .  these laws have helped to ensure that millions of americans get access to the healthcare that they need -- such as mammography screenings , maternity care , well-child care , and prompt payment rules .  in my state of california , employees who join ahps could well lose access to these services as well as certain emergency services , direct access to ob/gyns , mental health parity , and other important benefits .  moreover , this law would allow health plans to `` gag '' doctors , the currently illegal practice of health insurers preventing doctors from discussing treatment options that the plan does not cover , even if some of those options are in the patient 's best medical interest .  the problems go on .  ahps are likely to create new fraud and abuse problems in health care as well .  these plans are very similar to multiple employer welfare plans , mewas , that congress created in the 1970s .  mewas were also exempt from state insurance regulation .  the department of labor found that many of these plans were frauds and left their enrollees holding the bag for more than $ 123 million in unpaid health expenses .  congress had to come back and clean up the law to end this blatant abuse .  we should learn from that mistake , not repeat it .  this bill is bad for patients , bad for small business , and bad for states .  it is opposed by more than 1 , 300 organizations , including the national governors association , the national association of insurance commissioners , the american academy of actuaries , local chambers of commerce , small business associations , physician organizations , labor unions , and healthcare coalitions .  the senate has no intention of taking up this legislation .  it 's bad policy , and our colleagues on the other side of the capitol know it .  taking yet another vote on ahps is an enormous waste of time and taxpayer resources , and has nothing to do with providing affordable healthcare options to our citizens .  health care reform should n't raise premiums , increase the number of uninsured , lead to massive fraud , and remove key state patient protections .  i urge my colleagues to reject this legislation once and for all .  