Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk. Mr. Chair, I am honored to be here today to introduce my amendment to H.R. 987, the Strengthening Health Care and Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Act. My amendment promotes transparency and…
Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
Mr. Chair, I am honored to be here today to introduce my amendment to H.R. 987, the Strengthening Health Care and Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Act.
My amendment promotes transparency and accountability to how the Trump administration is spending Affordable Care Act, ACA, user fees.
For nearly 2 years now, the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress have tried and failed to repeal the ACA. Had they been successful, 23 million hardworking Americans would have lost their health insurance and be left with nothing, no health security for themselves, their children, or their families.
When those efforts didn't pan out, the Trump administration and our friends across the aisle turned their attention to sabotaging the ACA, dismantling the law piece by piece.
First on the chopping block, they shorted the ACA enrollment periods by over half, from 92 days to 45. Less time to make a decision means less participation.
Next up was cutting funding for consumer education and outreach, not just a small cut, but a reduction of 90 percent from $100 million to just $10 million.
The goals are clear: let's keep public healthcare options a secret and let's make it as difficult as possible to insure yourself and your family.
Funding for vital navigator programs was slashed by 40 percent. This was a move the Government Accountability Office, the GAO, has self- described as ``problematic.'' But it is much more than problematic; it is detrimental.
It is clear their goal is and always has been to drive ACA enrollment down to zero.
Last year, the administration began allowing insurance companies to provide junk insurance plans, plans that, for one, don't protect consumers with preexisting conditions.
Now the administration is pushing the ACA navigators to promote these junk plans, advertising these plans as somehow comparable to qualified ACA plans that provide full protections.
Obviously, consumers are going to be confused by this.
The GAO found that the drastic reduction in outreach and advertising, ``Likely detracted from the 2018 enrollment.''
That is not likely. That is a fact.
This is unacceptable, and it works directly against the intent of the law, which is to get more people healthcare coverage.
For some reason, this administration thinks that having uninsured Americans is a good thing.
My Democratic colleagues, the American public, and I believe differently.
In my home State of California, we saw the value of investing in ACA consumer education outreach. The way to get people covered and reduce uninsured rates is to educate consumers about their healthcare coverage options and make sure they know that healthcare insurance is affordable and within reach.
Having strong consumer outreach and enrollment activities can, in fact, lower premiums. This is exactly what we found in California.
Our State program covering California estimates that its outreach activities lowered premiums by up to 8 percent for all consumers.
This is basic economics. More participants equal lower costs for everyone. That 8 percent reduction amounts to some $576 million in my State alone. That, my friends, is a great investment.
There is a clear intent by this administration and the Republican Members to undermine the Affordable Care Act by drastically reducing vital funding for a fully functioning marketplace. And who does that hurt? Everyone.
This administration intends to jam the spokes on the progress the ACA has made to increase the number of people with healthcare coverage. Congress and the American people deserve answers to these attempts to subvert the ACA.
First, we need to know what the administration has been spending ACA user fees on if they are not using these funds for education and outreach. We need to know why you are still charging States a 3\1/2\ percent user fee to access a Federal platform if those fees aren't being used for the purposes they were collected. And, naturally, we need to know why there was a recent 50 percent increase in user fees for State-based marketplaces. Talk about a tax rate hike.
My amendment seeks answers. It requires an annual report to be submitted to Congress that includes a detailed breakdown on spending for, one, outreach and enrollment; two, the navigator program; and, three, the maintenance of healthcare.gov and the call centers.
No one should be denied or dropped healthcare coverage because they are a senior, pregnant, or get sick. Healthcare is a right, not a privilege, and everyone deserves access to quality, affordable care. It is critical now, more than ever, for us to receive answers on how the ACA user fees have been spent over the last 2 years by this administration.
I urge my colleagues to support my amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
Mr. Chair, I am honored to be here today to introduce my amendment to H.R. 987, The Strengthening Health Care and Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Act.
My amendment would ensure that communities with high unemployment numbers are prioritized in the navigator outreach program.
The Affordable Care Act created navigator programs to provide outreach, education, and enrollment assistance to consumers shopping for healthcare coverage. Robust marketing and outreach programs through the navigator program have been very successful throughout the country and have demonstrated meaningful benefits to our consumers.
In my home State of California, we have been making these necessary investments to ensure people throughout our State get the information they need to obtain coverage, and it works. Our State-based marketplace, Covered California, estimates that its investment in the marketing and outreach in 2015 and 2016 increased enrollment, which reduced premiums by up to 8 percent for all of our enrolled members. That is savings to all enrolled members of some $576 million. Based on a small budget of some $56 million, that is a great investment. That is a 1,000 percent return on investment. That is a great deal by anyone's measure.
That is the goal: to reduce the number of uninsured Americans. We all know that, when we have insurance, we stay healthy, and this strengthens our overall healthcare system, our communities, and our Nation.
That is why the navigator program is so important, and the Trump administration's 84 percent cut to the program since 2016 is just unacceptable. It is imperative that funding be restored to navigator programs.
Navigator programs help those without employer-sponsored insurance through small companies, sole proprietors, contractors, and every one of those entrepreneurs who are staking their claim to the American Dream.
The fact is many people who are eligible for financial assistance through the ACA, which would help them obtain coverage, don't even know they can get help, and this administration wants to keep them in the dark. Some 40 percent of consumers today don't even know there are options available.
My congressional district has an unemployment rate of almost 17 percent, and this is made up of rural communities that face unique challenges and barriers with respect to education, communication, and transportation. This makes it very difficult for my constituents to receive information on their healthcare insurance options.
This is so similar to many of our rural communities across our Nation. For many of those communities, the navigator program is the only way they can access this vital information.
Everyone should have health insurance and know their healthcare options. Healthcare is a right, not a privilege, and your ZIP Code should not dictate your ability to obtain health insurance.
My amendment would help distressed communities like those in my district and so many more across our Nation that may not have the resources to access the full healthcare options. By fully funding the navigator program and by focusing our efforts on areas that have high unemployment, we can get more people covered. And that is the goal.
Here in America, the building blocks for success are a quality education, dedication to hard work, and good health. A healthy workforce is vital for America's success. We must fund the navigator program to help educate those who are difficult to reach geographically or who have limited access to ACA resources.
This is a critical and necessary investment that will build stronger, healthier, and more productive communities and an America that demonstrates that its best investments are its people.
With that, I urge my colleagues to support my amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
