Legislation to Improve Affordable Care Act Advances to House Floor

OAKLAND, California, April 4 -- The Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum issued the following news release:

Last night the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee voted out six bills that would take important steps to improve the Affordable Care Act, address the adverse actions of the Trump Administration and will make health care more affordable and accessible if enacted into law.

"We applaud the Committee for taking action to improve the affordability, accessibility and awareness of health insurance. Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, uninsured rates for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders have been cut in half, yet we risk slipping back without action," said Kathy Ko Chin, president and CEO of the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum. "We urge Congress to swiftly take up and pass these bills, including 'The Protecting Pre-Existing Conditions & Making Health Care More Affordable Act of 2019.'"

Among the bills passed include H.R.1386, "Expand Navigators' Resources for Outreach, Learning, and Longevity (ENROLL) Act," introduced by Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL-14). The ENROLL Act would restore funding to the Navigator program and make improvements allow Navigators to serve their communities better.

"APIAHF leads a coalition of national and local organizations that have enrolled over 1 million Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders through the Navigator program," said Ko Chin. "Passage of the ENROLL Act will ensure we put resources directly in communities to assist those in need."

The committee also passed H.R. 987, "Marketing and Outreach Restoration to Empower (MORE) Health Education Act of 2019," introduced by Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE-At Large). This legislation would restore funding to ACA marketing, ensuring that consumers are aware of open enrollment and understand their health care options. Too few people, particularly those in immigrant and limited-English proficient communities, are aware of their ability to enroll in health insurance.

The other bills include:

H.R.1385, "State Allowance for a Variety of Exchanges (SAVE) Act," would provide states with $200 million in federal funds to establish state-based Marketplaces.

H.R. 1010, "Short-Term, Limited Duration Insurance," would reverse the Administration's expansion of junk insurance plans, also known as short-term, limited-duration insurance plans.

H.R. 986, "Protecting Americans with Preexisting Conditions Act of 2019," would require the Administration to rescind the Section 1332 guidance of the ACA promulgated in October of 2018 that would undermine the law's consumer protections.

H.R. 1425, "State Health Care Premium Reduction Act," would provide $10 billion annually to states to establish a state reinsurance program or use the funds to provide financial assistance to reduce out-of-pocket costs for individuals enrolled in qualified health plans. The bill also requires Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to establish and implement a reinsurance program in states that do not apply for federal funding under the bill.