SENATE DEMOCRATS PROPOSE IDEAS TO MAKE THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT WORK BETTER
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Senate Democrats Propose Ideas to Make the Affordable Care Act Work Better
Initiative would expand access, increase affordability and improve flexibility for workers and businesses
* Offering more convenient and greater access to coverage;
* Providing greater choice and increasing affordability; and
* Improving flexibility for workers and businesses.
The senators authored an op-ed in Politico laying out their latest ideas. Go to: to read the op-ed. http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/03/how-to-fix-the-affordable-ca re-act-105071.html#.UzQDFvldVqV
"I have long said there are some good pieces of the health care reform law and some pieces that need to be fixed," said
"I hear stories every day from individuals, families, and small businesses in
"I've said from the very beginning that we need we need to make some fixes so the health care law works better for Alaskans," said
"Before, during and after the debate over health reform, I consistently said that The Affordable Care Act was not perfect, and that
"While the Affordable Care Act is far from perfect, the truth is that health insurance saves lives. I know this from personal experience. Forty years ago, I was diagnosed with malignant melanoma, but thankfully, my doctor caught it early enough for treatment. I truly believe that if I hadn't had a job that provided me with health insurance, I would not be here today," said
"Since the Affordable Care Act was signed into law in 2010, there have been many problems exposed in the law that need to be addressed,"
Providing Greater Choice and Increasing Affordability
Expanded Consumer Choice Act (S. 1729) (Sens. Begich, Heitkamp, Landrieu, Warner, Manchin, King)
Provides a new lower cost, high-deductible option called the Copper Plan, in addition to the existing Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze options in the marketplace that would give consumers more control over their own coverage, spur competition, and, most importantly, increase affordability. The new Copper Plan would meet the essential benefits laid out by the Affordable Care Act.
Supporters:
Restores startup funds for new consumer-driven health insurance cooperatives, now operating in 23 states. This will allow families to have more options to access health coverage beyond traditional insurance companies, infusing state marketplaces with more competition to reduce average premiums. These nonprofit health care co-ops are already offering good options for thousands of consumers in states like
Supporters:
Increases consumer choice by directing state insurance regulators to develop models for states to sell health insurance across state lines. These multi-state models will help us discern the benefits and challenges of selling health insurance in this manner, and determine if it is a means to increasing choice and competition among plans - potentially driving down costs while maintaining quality and value.
Improving Flexibility for Workers and Businesses
Small Business Tax Credits Accessibility Act (S. 2069) (Sens. Begich, Heitkamp, Landrieu, Warner, Manchin, King)
Improves flexibility, increases affordability, and eases the transition for our small businesses by making Small Business Health Care Tax Credits available for a longer period of time and accessible to more employers. Small businesses would be able to spend less time and money worrying about how they will provide coverage for their employees. Expanding the current tax credits to include businesses with fewer than 50 employees - instead of the current cap at 25 employees - would provide a real benefit to hundreds of thousands of small businesses and allow them to offer quality care while recruiting and retaining talented employees.
Supporters:
Small Business Stability Act (Sens. Heitkamp, Landrieu, Warner, Begich, Manchin, King)
Expands the option for voluntary coverage to employers with fewer than 100 employees, about 98 percent of all businesses. This will provide certainty to small businesses as they make decisions for their businesses and flexibility for planning and growth.
Supporters:
Commonsense Reporting Act (Sens. Warner, Heitkamp, Landrieu, Begich, Manchin)
Reduces the administrative burden for businesses by further streamlining and simplifying reporting requirements for health insurance coverage.
Treating Families Fairly Act (Sens. Manchin, Heitkamp, Landrieu, Warner, Begich)
Counts family members working for the same business and on the same employer health plan as one full-time equivalent employee for the purposes of ensuring larger businesses offer coverage to their full time workers.
More convenient and greater access to coverage
Consumers Having Options in Choosing Enrollment (CHOICE) Act (Sens. Landrieu, Heitkamp, Warner, Begich, Manchin)
Provides a permanent path for consumers to seamlessly enroll directly through insurers or certified web-based entities, in addition to enrolling through healthcare.gov, making it easier for individuals and families to access quality health insurance.
Supporters:
Enhancing Access for Agents and Brokers Act (Sens. Landrieu, Heitkamp, Warner, Begich, Manchin)
Improves access for agents and brokers to help families and small businesses enroll in health plans on the Affordable Care Act exchanges. Agents and brokers are trusted advisors for many families and businesses and should be able to help with these kinds of decisions.
Supporters:
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