A non-partisan group of 29 patient, provider and consumer groups today praised the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee for crafting bipartisan legislation that will help stabilize the individual insurance markets:
“The new bipartisan bill from the Senate HELP Committee Chair and Ranking Member offers some solid strategies to help restore confidence in the individual health insurance market. The return to regular order and bipartisanship are a much-needed breath of fresh air in an often-divided Congress. Senators Alexander and Murray deserve high praise for their leadership on this complex and challenging issue.
The committee’s proposal, which extends cost-sharing reduction payments and includes other mechanisms of stabilization, clearly moves us in the right direction. The legislation also preserves and supports key protections for individuals with preexisting conditions.
We look forward to fully engaging in the next steps of this process – which will include a thorough and ongoing review of this bill’s impact on patients and consumers – and we caution against any changes that might weaken existing patient protections.
We must do everything we can to push forward with a bipartisan plan that maintains access to quality and affordable care for all Americans.”
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ALS Association American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network American Diabetes Association American Heart Association American Lung Association Arthritis Foundation Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Dystonia Medical Research Foundation Epilepsy Foundation Family Voices GBS/CIDP Foundation International Lutheran Services in America March of Dimes METAvivor Research & Support Organization Muscular Dystrophy Association National Alopecia Areata Foundation National Health Council National Multiple Sclerosis Society National Organization for Rare Disorders Project Sleep Pulmonary Hypertension Association Scleroderma Foundation The Marfan Foundation U.S. Hereditary Angioedema Association United Ostomy Associations of America United Way Worldwide Volunteers of America WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease