Published Tuesday, Apr. 2, 2019, 7:01 pm
U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) today
reintroduced legislation to create Medicare-X, a public plan that would offer
families, individuals, and small businesses additional, low-cost health
insurance choices and create more competition in the marketplace. The
updated Medicare-X Choice Act of 2019 further lowers premiums
and increases coverage for Medicare-X consumers and those in the individual
market.
“It is a disgrace that people’s lives are
upended daily in our country because they have no health insurance,” Bennet
said. “We need to cover everyone, reduce costs, and improve
quality—and Medicare-X is the best way to accomplish those objectives.
Medicare-X starts in rural areas because the market there is failing too many
Americans. And by using the existing Medicare framework, it provides a new,
affordable option without adding bureaucracy. There is no excuse for us not to
finish what the ACA started and close the coverage gap in America through
Medicare-X.”
“Our goal is more health care options and lower
costs,” Kaine said. “With those priorities top of mind, we
introduced Medicare-X to give Americans more quality, affordable health care
choices, especially in rural communities that face a shortage of insurance
options. This bill takes additional steps to reduce premiums, increase
coverage, and make health insurance more affordable. I want to make sure that
Virginians – and all Americans – can get the care they need.”
Despite the success of the Affordable
Care Act, too many Americans still live in areas with limited competition
and unaffordable health care costs. In 2019, 17 percent of those enrolled on the
exchanges lived in an area with just one insurer.
The plan would build on the Medicare framework
to establish a public insurance option. Medicare-X initially would be available
on the individual exchange in areas where there is a shortage of insurers or
higher health care costs due to less competition—including rural communities in
Colorado and Virginia. By 2024, Medicare-X would expand to every ZIP code in
the country. By 2025, the public plan would be added as another option on the
Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) Marketplace.
Medicare-X would use Medicare’s network of
doctors and providers and guarantee the essential health benefits established
in the ACA, such as maternity care and mental health services. Additionally, it
would ensure access to affordable prescription drugs by offering prices
negotiated in conjunction with the Medicare Part D program.
The legislation includes several key updates to
further lower costs and increase coverage. It eliminates the subsidy cliff for
Americans above 400% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), ultimately ensuring
individuals do not pay more than 13 percent of their income toward their
premium for a benchmark plan. It also increases the tax credit for individuals
below 400% FPL, authorizes $30 billion over three years for a national
reinsurance program, and establishes a grant program to integrate social needs
in the delivery of health care services.
In addition to Bennet and Kaine, the legislation
is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Patrick
Leahy (D-VT), Tina Smith (D-MN), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Cory Booker (D-NJ),
Gary Peters (D-MI), and Dick Durbin (D-IL).
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