Heitkamp Continues Call for Bipartisan Compromise to Improve Health Care, Offers Bill to Make Immediate Improvements

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate about the need for Congress to put partisanship aside and work together on real, compromise reforms to improve health care for American families. She offered her bill as a starting point which would ease the current cliff on premium assistance that many middle class families and seniors face -- putting affordable care out of reach.

Heitkamp also expressed her opposition to the updated Republican health care bill which could still rip health care away from the 90,000 North Dakotans on Medicaid, including individuals and children with disabilities, seniors in nursing homes, individuals seeking treatment for opioid abuse, those who rely on rural hospitals, and low-income families.

Go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGAPjKOjuyE and here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyJO11bJFdk for video on YouTube of Heitkamp speaking today on the floor of the U.S. Senate.

"American families are mad and scared because under the Republican health care bill they won't be able to afford the care their children with disabilities need. Their parents or grandparents in nursing homes may not be able to afford care in old age. Those in rural communities may lose access to rural hospitals. And those seeking help for opioid addiction could lose their treatment," said Heitkamp. "For families across the country, they don't care about the politics of what is happening in Congress. They worry that they could be forced to choose between bankruptcy or lifesaving care for a child or loved one. But the initial Republican health care bills and the new one released today, which isn't any better, could make that terrible choice a reality. This updated bill is not the starting point. Instead of continuing to release bad bill after bad bill, I hope Republicans will work with Democrats on a bipartisan compromise to truly improve health care for American families. That's why I offered my bill this week to help middle income families and seniors afford care. It's a bill that should be bipartisan, and it continues my work over several years to seek solutions to improve access to health care. Republicans and Democrats need to come together in earnest to help fix immediate health care issues so families aren't hurting."

Specifically, Heitkamp's Addressing Affordability for More Americans Act would help more families afford health insurance in the individual market by smoothing the 'subsidy cliff' for Americans who earn even nominal sums over 400 percent of federal poverty level (FPL). Currently, North Dakotans earning even nominal sums over 400 percent of FPL - $47,550 for an individual and $97,200 for a family of four - are not eligible for any support to help make health coverage more affordable. By instead creating a slope as the support is reduced, Heitkamp's bill would make sure more young, healthy families are able to obtain affordable health coverage while diversifying the insurance pools, and making sure older Americans under 65 years old with higher premiums aren't forced to dig into hard-earned retirement savings or go without care.

Two weeks ago, Heitkamp led about 15 Democratic senators on the floor of the U.S. Senate in calling on Republicans to work with them to pass commonsense legislation to immediately provide certainty in the health care marketplaces and lower premiums for consumers. Similar provisions were included in the Senate Republican health care bill, reinforcing that these are issues Republicans and Democrats should be able to work together on to address. Unfortunately, Senate Republicans didn't agree to these bills.

This effort continues Heitkamp's work over the past three and a half years to offer reforms that would help the health reform law work better for families and businesses. She will continue to try to work with Senate Republicans to reach compromise solutions that make health care affordable and accessible for North Dakotans. Since 2013, Heitkamp has also met regularly with her health care advisory board - comprised of health care leaders across North Dakota - to talk with them about health care in the state and improving the health reform law.

Read this original document at: https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=EB041B51-142B-47B7-AAC8-AD07CB0CC5A3