jimnyc
05-13-2017, 12:46 PM
Senate Republicans Weigh Options to Lower Health Insurance Premiums
Senate Republicans are weighing options to either push for state waivers to Obamacare regulations or auto-enroll Americans for health insurance to bring down premiums.
Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) told reporters, “There’s no reason that premiums on the individual market should double and triple in a state like mine. There was no reason for that other than Obamacare. We need to diagnose that, then figure out what policies we can agree on to bring those premiums down.”
Republican Senators aim to lower premiums, although the Senate health working group remains divided on how to reduce health costs. Some floated the idea of giving states waivers to Obamacare’s essential health benefits, in a similar fashion to the House’s American Health Care Act (AHCA), while others want to auto-enroll Americans without health insurance into catastrophic health insurance plans.
Johnson told reporters that regulations “absolutely” need to be addressed. When asked whether he would protect pre-existing conditions, he said, “I’m guaranteeing nothing other than my effort to try and bring those premiums down.”
Senate Health Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander supports giving states more authority to regulate insurance. He said, “We would like to move more decisions out of Washington, back to the states, about regulating insurance.”
Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) echoed Sen. Alexander’s statement, saying, “I have to believe that when you mandate ten essential health benefits in a rigid way that it affects the cost of premiums.” Corker added that any reform must also include protections for pre-existing conditions.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) leads another camp that wants to auto-enroll Americans without health insurance into a basic, catastrophic health care plan, paid for by an individual’s federal tax credit. Cassidy’s camp argues that this would force more healthy people into the Obamacare exchanges to balance out the costs of sick and older Americans.
Rest here - http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/05/12/senate-republicans-weigh-options-to-lower-health-insurance-premiums/
Senate Republicans are weighing options to either push for state waivers to Obamacare regulations or auto-enroll Americans for health insurance to bring down premiums.
Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) told reporters, “There’s no reason that premiums on the individual market should double and triple in a state like mine. There was no reason for that other than Obamacare. We need to diagnose that, then figure out what policies we can agree on to bring those premiums down.”
Republican Senators aim to lower premiums, although the Senate health working group remains divided on how to reduce health costs. Some floated the idea of giving states waivers to Obamacare’s essential health benefits, in a similar fashion to the House’s American Health Care Act (AHCA), while others want to auto-enroll Americans without health insurance into catastrophic health insurance plans.
Johnson told reporters that regulations “absolutely” need to be addressed. When asked whether he would protect pre-existing conditions, he said, “I’m guaranteeing nothing other than my effort to try and bring those premiums down.”
Senate Health Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander supports giving states more authority to regulate insurance. He said, “We would like to move more decisions out of Washington, back to the states, about regulating insurance.”
Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) echoed Sen. Alexander’s statement, saying, “I have to believe that when you mandate ten essential health benefits in a rigid way that it affects the cost of premiums.” Corker added that any reform must also include protections for pre-existing conditions.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) leads another camp that wants to auto-enroll Americans without health insurance into a basic, catastrophic health care plan, paid for by an individual’s federal tax credit. Cassidy’s camp argues that this would force more healthy people into the Obamacare exchanges to balance out the costs of sick and older Americans.
Rest here - http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/05/12/senate-republicans-weigh-options-to-lower-health-insurance-premiums/