Check Up for Bipartisan Health
A bipartisan health proposal was something we could not even have imagined just a month or so ago.
But last week Trump's latest attempts to gut Obamacare, included cuts to crucial subsidies to insurance that help pay out-of-pocket costs of low-income people and the addition of cheaper policies with fewer consumer safeguards. Without these subsidies, the current insurance market would unravel, with premiums soaring, and insurers pulling out of the marketplace. All this done with little regard for how it will affect everyday Americans.
These consequences were dire enough for some senators to reach across the aisle to work out a bipartisan healthcare proposal, that would help to stabilize the insurance markets through 2019. Though still in draft form, here are some of its proposals:
It will guarantee federal subsidies to insurers through 2019
Restores funding for Obamacare enrollment period advertising
Allows states to tweak Obamacare rules for how the marketplace is run in their state by making it easier to get state innovation waivers but still requires state plans to cover the same amount of people with comparable costs
It allows more people to sign up for high-deductible insurance - catastrophic insurance (currently this is capped at age 30)
Please note this proposal only restores the funding for Obamacare that already existed before it was cut off last week by Trump. Regardless premiums will probably go up for 2018, as any bipartisan bill will not get passed in time to help. It is not a radical measure by any means, but a temporary salve to stabilize the insurance markets for the time being.
What you can do1. CALL your senator and ask where they stand on the Bipartisan Health Proposal. Let them know that you stand by the Affordable Care Act, and want this bill passed to help make sure insurance remains affordable for everyone.
Capitol Switchboard 202-224-3121