Congresswoman Schakowsky Co-Sponsors The Protecting Pre-Existing Conditions & Making Health Care More Affordable Act

Congresswoman Schakowsky Co-Sponsors The Protecting Pre-Existing Conditions & Making Health Care More Affordable Act

Sweeping New Health Legislation Will Lower Health Premiums, Reverse GOP Health Care Sabotage

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), a Senior Chief Deputy Whip, joined Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats in introducing sweeping new health care legislation that will lower Illinois’ health insurance premiums, crack down on junk health insurance plans, strengthen protections for people with pre-existing conditions, and reverse the Trump Administration’s health care sabotage. The Protecting Pre-Existing Conditions & Making Health Care Affordable Act was introduced the day after the Trump Administration asked a federal court to strike down not only the Affordable Care Act’s protections for people with pre-existing conditions, but every other part of the health law.

“This legislation is essential because the Trump Administration and Congressional Republican’s efforts to destroy the Affordable Care Act are putting millions of Americans at risk,” said Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky. “If you have a pre-existing condition – whether it’s cancer, diabetes, depression, or asthma – you are at risk. If you are a woman, you are at risk. If you work in an occupation where you might get injured, you are at risk. And if you are an older American between the ages of 50-64, you are at risk. Instead of working to lower health care costs and prescription drug prices for the American people, the Trump Administration is attacking the core protections of the ACA. That won’t stand in this House of Representatives. With the Protecting Pre-Existing Conditions & Making Health Care Affordable Act, my colleagues and I are taking another step forward to lower health costs and protect access to comprehensive, high-quality health care for the American people.”

The Protecting Pre-Existing Conditions & Making Health Care More Affordable Act of 2019 includes provisions that will:

Lower health insurance premiums with strengthened and expanded affordability assistance

• Strengthening tax credits in the Marketplace to lower Americans’ health insurance premiums and allows more middle-class individuals and families to qualify for subsidies;
• Ensuring that families who don’t have an offer of affordable coverage from an employer can still qualify for subsidies in the Marketplace; and,
• Providing funding for reinsurance, to help with high cost claims, improve Marketplace stability, and prevent the Trump Administration’s sabotage from raising premiums.

Strengthen protections for people with pre-existing conditions

• Curtailing the Trump Administration’s efforts to give states waivers to undermine protections for people with pre-existing conditions and weaken standards for essential health benefits, which would leave consumers with less comprehensive plans that do not cover needed services, such as prescription drugs, maternity care, and substance use disorder treatment.

Stop insurance companies from selling junk health insurance plans

• Stopping the Trump Administration’s efforts to push Americans into junk health insurance plans that do not provide coverage for essential medical treatments and drugs, and that are allowed to discriminate against people with pre-existing medical conditions.

Reverse the GOP’s health care sabotage that has needlessly driven up premiums and uninsured rates, and empower states to innovate and invest in enrolling more people in affordable health coverage

• Reversing the Trump Administration’s sabotage by requiring open enrollment outreach, education, and funding for navigators;
• Investing in state efforts to conduct outreach to increase enrollment, educate consumers of their rights, and help individuals navigate the health insurance system;
• Empowering states to implement new approaches to increasing enrollment and allows states to set up their own Marketplaces; and
• Holding the Administration accountable for its misuse of federal dollars dedicated to increasing enrollment, outreach and running the federal exchange.

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