This week, Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans announced two Health Subcommittee Hearings for next week to examine health care bills. Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) today set the record straight that these bills will in no way improve people’s access to health care or offer any semblance of a replacement to the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
“In scheduling these legislative hearings, Congressional Republicans are trying to pretend they have a path forward on health care but they still have absolutely no plan or consensus on how to proceed," Pallone said. “Americans today have better health coverage and care thanks to the Affordable Care Act. None of these bills will prevent 30 million Americans from losing their health care coverage or reduce chaos in the overall health care system if Republicans repeal the Affordable Care Act."
Republicans plan to discuss a number of bills at the hearings on Medicaid and the ACA individual markets that would either lead to Americans losing their health care coverage or paying more for their health care coverage. This includes legislation that would:
* Allow states to remove individuals from their Medicaid coverage just because that person received a one-time, temporary gain in income such as a lump sum settlement payment;
* Limit Medicaid eligibility by expanding the definition of countable income for married couples in which one spouse needs institutional care;
* Allow a state to delay or deny an individual’s Medicaid eligibility if documentation is not immediately electronically verifiable;
* Allow insurers to substantially increase costs for older Americans while doing little to help young people enroll;
* A verification bill that could deter healthy people from enrolling in health insurance during Special Enrollment Periods (SEP) due to onerous requirements, while likely ensuring that SEP enrollees are even sicker;
* A new policy that would allow states to reduce grace periods for marketplace enrollees to pay their monthly premiums, which could cause people to lose coverage for a one time late payment.
