Sen. Lamar Alexander: Bipartisan health insurance proposal expected next week
Sens.
By the end of next week, they want to have the proposal in the hands of Senate Majority Leader
"What we're trying to do is not just see whether
Murray, the committee's top Democrat, also is optimistic about the discussions.
"After all the partisanship we've seen from
While negotiations are still ongoing, Alexander and Murray are looking to give states more flexibility in the type of policies that they can approve and to extend for two years the federal cost-sharing payments that enable insurance companies to reduce premiums for lower- and middle-class Americans.
Extending the federal cost-sharing received almost universal support from state insurance regulators, governors, health care executives and others who testified earlier this month at four hearings before the committee.
Insurance rates for 2018 were finalized on Wednesday, but Alexander said he thinks there's still time to provide relief for consumers who will face higher premiums next year.
"Insurance companies would have to take extraordinary action to either rebate premiums or give consumers credit," he said. "But I'm not going to favor paying the cost-sharing payments to insurance companies for 2018 unless consumers get the benefit instead of the insurance companies."
By 2019, insurance rates could begin to go down in most states based upon the combination of proposals that are under consideration, Alexander said.
Alexander and Murray began working toward a bipartisan deal after the collapse in July of the
"To put it bluntly, our goal is to avoid chaos in the individual market, where premiums are skyrocketing and up to 16 million people literally might not be able to buy insurance at all in that market because no company was willing to sell insurance," Alexander said.
Alexander briefly pulled the plug on the talks after
Alexander reopened the discussions with Murray last week when the Graham-Cassidy bill collapsed because it didn't have enough votes to pass.
Even if the senators reach a bipartisan deal, it is uncertain whether such an agreement could win enough votes in the
Sen.
"I believe they'll be able to come up with a proposal, and a number of senators will sponsor it," Blunt, R-
In the House, Rep.
But Rep.
"It depends on what it is," Meadows said. "Obviously, we're open to any bipartisan solution, and yet probably the biggest thing that I see, with most of what they're talking about, is just extending CSR (cost-sharing) payments and CSR payments without a transition to something that lowers premiums."
That, Meadows said, "is pretty much a nonstarter" in the House.
Alexander said he has spoken House Speaker
"My argument to them is ... that we should take whatever steps we could to avoid the chaos that would occur if we don't act," he said. "Whether they're for or against Graham-Cassidy, I think
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