Sen. King Offers Amendments to Preserve Critical Components of Health Care Law, Protect Critical Health Insurance Programs for Maine People

WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 -- The office of Sen. Angus S. King Jr., I-Maine, issued the following news release:

U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today offered five amendments to legislation currently under consideration by the Senate that would preserve critical facets of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and that would protect health insurance and vital programs to serve people across Maine. The budget resolution under consideration by the Senate is being used as a vehicle to advance repeal of the Affordable Care Act, a move which Senator King has opposed throughout his tenure in the Senate and which threatens to strip health care away from tens of millions of Americans, including more than 75,000 in Maine.

Senator King's amendments, which were filed to a budget resolution aimed at repealing the landmark health care law, would 1) ensure that access to health insurance cannot be denied or that health insurance prices cannot be raised for those working in higher risk, primarily rural sectors such as public safety, forestry, farming and fishing in Maine; 2) ensure that health insurance will still cover mental health and substance abuse disorders so that those struggling with opioid addiction are able to afford the treatment services they need; 3) extend a program that seeks to improve child and maternal health in areas, often low-income, with elevated levels of poor childhood health; 4) ensure the continued support for fall prevention services and programs for older Americans, which can help prevent debilitating injuries and significant medical costs; and 5) support the National Health Service Corps programs, which helps dispatch new medical providers to serve rural areas.

"The Affordable Care Act is not a perfect law, but it corrects some of the most glaring defects in the private insurance system and it provides an opportunity to millions of Americans - including tens of thousands in Maine - to escape the day-to-day shadow of a health care disaster. It would be a mistake of catastrophic measure to go back on that and put peoples' lives at risk," Senator King said. "That's why I have introduced these amendments, which will safeguard important provisions of the law that are benefiting people across Maine, especially those who live and work in rural communities across the state and those who are fighting the scourge of drug addiction. I will continue to fight for the health and wellbeing of rural Mainers and stand in the way of any attempt by anyone in Congress to take health insurance away from them or anyone in my state."

Last week, Senator King cosponsored an amendment that would stop efforts to dismantle the law, and he also joined with several of his centrist colleagues in urging Senate leadership to discuss meaningful improvements to the law before rushing to fast-track a repeal of it.

The Senate is expected to vote on a series of amendments to the budget resolution tomorrow. If Senator King's amendments are voted on, and adopted, they would in effect prevent the repeal or contraction of the programs and services detailed in the amendment. Additional background information on each of the amendments is below:

* An amendment to assure health insurance affordability and access is not conditioned on occupation status: Before the ACA was enacted, health insurance companies could develop eligibility rules that either raised costs of health insurance to prohibitive levels or eliminated from eligibility workers in certain professions - such as public safety, farming, forestry and fishing. The rural economy, and virtually the entire economy of the United States, is dependent upon the hard working people who protect our communities, grow our food, catch fish, and harvest forests. Creating barriers to health insurance for these hard working men and women not only endangers their lives and livelihood, but damages the economy; especially the rural economy. This amendment would prohibit health insurance issuers from developing group or individual health insurance plan eligibility rules that discriminate against workers based on their occupation status.

* An amendment assuring health insurance coverage for mental health and substance use disorders: The enactment of the ACA brought important improvements to mental health and substance use disorder care, most notably the inclusion of substance use disorder and mental health coverage as an 'essential benefit', as well as strengthening federal parity provisions. Given the opioid epidemic that is devastating communities across the country, access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment has never been more important, and rolling back the successes of the ACA could lead to an increased burden on health care providers and harm communities. To help prevent that negative impact, this amendment would continue to provide care for mental health and substance use disorders by ensuring their inclusion as essential health benefits, and providing federal parity protections for mental health and substance use disorders.

* An amendment to promote maternal and child health: Established under the ACA, the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program supports home visiting services for families with children who live in communities with heightened levels of poor childhood health and other risk indicators. Under the program, families receive help from health, social service, and child development professionals through regular, planned home visits. During these visits, parents learn how to improve their family's health and provide better opportunities for their children. This amendment would extend the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program in order to continue to support mothers and their children.

* An amendment to cover certain fall prevention services for older Americans under Medicare: The Affordable Care Act provides fall prevention services and programs for older Americans, which can help prevent debilitating injuries and significant medical costs. This amendment would preserve, and potentially expand, certain fall prevention services under Medicare.

* An amendment to support the National Health Service Corps programs: Rural areas often face shortages of several sorts of clinical providers, particularly in primary care and behavioral and mental health care. It can be difficult to convince medical students, who may graduate with a quarter-million dollars of education debt, to practice in lower-paying and more isolated rural communities. For more than 40 years, the National Health Service Corps has provided loan repayment and scholarship assistance to encourage medical providers to serve rural areas. This amendment supports the preservation, maintenance, and expansion of the National Health Service Corps programs.

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