Sinema Statement on Keep Your Health Plan Act

WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 -- Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz. (9th CD), issued the following news release:

Today the Keep Your Health Plan Act, co-sponsored by Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema, passed with a bipartisan majority. The legislation grandfathers plans in effect as of January 1, 2013 as satisfying the Affordable Care Act's requirements that insurance plans offer minimum essential coverage, and it allows issuers to continue offering such coverage for sale during 2014 outside of health care exchanges established under the Affordable Care Act.

"This common sense bill allows individuals to make the choice about what health insurance option is best for them, either through the exchange or with their current plan," said Sinema. "I encourage individuals to continue to look at all their options. Arizona has the second lowest premiums and the highest number of choices of any state through the marketplace, but if people prefer their existing coverage, they should be able to keep it.

"Healthcare reform should work for Arizona's hardworking families, and Democrats and Republicans must be willing to listen to new ideas to fix this law to make it as good as it can be. We promised that individuals who like their plans would be able to keep them and this bill keeps that promise."

Congresswoman Sinema also supported an amendment to improve the bill by allowing insurance companies to offer plans that do not meet health care reform standards only to current enrollees in those plans. Additionally, the amendment requires insurance companies to notify consumers of the differences between their existing plans and the options, credits, and subsidies available through the Affordable Care Act's exchanges.

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