COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—The health insurance industry is committed to making health care reform work despite its objections to the federal law, an executive of America's Health Insurance Plans told members of the Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers.

Mike Tuffin, executive vp of AHIP and keynote speaker at the CIAB's 9th Annual Employee Benefits Leadership Forum last week, said AHIP also hopes the midterm elections change the complexion of Congress and shift the Obama administration's stance to be more aligned with that of the health insurance industry.

However, it is unlikely that the law, which was passed in Congress on partisan votes without the support of the majority of U.S. residents, will be repealed, he said at the Colorado Springs, Colo., gathering.

“Health care reform is not over. This is the only the end of the beginning,” Mr. Tuffin said. “Whether we like it or not, the bill was passed. Now we must be reliable and effective implementation partners. We need to stay engaged. The single-payer and public-option supporters have not given up,” he warned.

The single-payer and public-option provisions gained favor in the U.S. House but lacked sufficient support to pass the Senate.

To demonstrate aspects of the law that the industry could influence, Mr. Tuffin pointed out that the massive bill contains at least 900 references to “the secretary shall,” which may provide some flexibility in the direction of the regulations that the secretary of the Health and Human Services Department will set to implement the law's provisions.

“We will continue to speak out, but we will also try to minimize the disruption,” Mr. Tuffin said.

An area that AHIP pledges to persuade regulators to address is cost containment, which its members and employer customers feel was inadequately addressed in the health care reform law.

“The business community pays for health care in this country. We need to work with them to help them explain to lawmakers why it's necessary to focus on costs,” Mr. Tuffin said. “If you're not bending the cost curve and you add 30 million new people to the system...we're just shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic.”

Throughout the health care reform debate, insurers were blamed for the high cost of health insurance, “but that's not the problem,” he said. “We pay more for health care services than any other nation.”

While the cost of U.S. health care has continued to climb, the net cost of providing health insurance has declined, he said.

For example, the percentage of premiums allocated for administration has fallen from an average of 13.67% in 2003 to 11.15% in 2009, according to data Mr. Tuffin presented.

As part of its regulator education campaign, AHIP proposes a seven-point plan much like its suggestions prior to finalization of the federal law: