EDITORIAL: Congress has another chance to keep health insurance more affordable

Dec. 23—The BDN Editorial Board operates independently from the newsroom, and does not set policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com.

Members of Congress left Washington, D.C. for their holiday vacation without taking simple steps to keep health insurance more affordable for millions of Americans.

Republicans in the Senate and House of Representatives failed to support legislation to extend subsidies that help make health insurance more affordable for those who buy it through the Affordable Care Act marketplace. This includes more than 50,000 Mainers, many of them self employed or small business owners.

But, thanks to four brave Republican House members, Congress will have another chance to pass such legislation in January. That's too late to help people who had to buy insurance during open enrollment — a time period when people can buy health coverage for any reason. But, it would still be a big help.

The four members — Brian Fitzpatrick, Rob Bresnahan, and Ryan Mackenzie, all of Pennsylvania, and Mike Lawler of New York — broke with the Republican caucus to sign onto a petition requiring a vote in the U.S. House on a Democrat-backed measure to extend the subsidies for three years. This is not a guarantee that such a measure passes, but it is a step in the right direction.

President Donald Trump addressed the nation last week to try to convince Americans that the U.S. economy is doing fine. In a speech filled with lies and distortions, and attacks on immigrants and transgender Americans, Trump essentially yelled at Americans to stop complaining and to believe that there is no economic hardship.

At a time when Americans are struggling to afford housing, heat and electricity, food and other essentials, the president's message seemed especially ill timed. However, if the president wants to do something to convince Americans he cares about their economic struggles, he could get behind a move to extend the ACA subsidies. That would be a lot more effective — and immediate — than the $2,000 he pledges to send to Americans so they can buy health insurance. For far too many Americans, this money pales in comparison to the increased costs of health insurance they face next year.

All of Maine's congressional delegation has been supportive of an extension of the subsidies. Sen. Susan Collins, who is continuing to work toward a compromise on the issue, was one of only four Republicans in the U.S. Senate to vote in favor of a Democratic measure to extend the subsidies for three years. It failed to pass the Senate. She also voted for a Republican-backed measure that would have replaced the subsidies with payments of up to $1,500 for each person enrolled in an ACA health plan. That measure also failed to pass the Senate.

Collins has backed a measure, which she helped write, that would extend the subsidies for two years with a cap on incomes to qualify.

The ACA subsidies are a significant cost to the federal government. But without them, millions of Americans, after seeing the cost of their health insurance double or triple, are likely to go without health insurance, or buy plans with little coverage. For many that means less access to health care, putting their physical and financial wellbeing in jeopardy.

When Congress returns from their holiday break, they, and the president, can show Americans that they hear and understand their economic concerns. Rather than trying to convince them that prices are dropping when they are not, they could actually act to keep health care more in reach for millions of Americans. They can do that by reinstating the ACA subsidies to make health insurance more affordable.

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