WASHINGTON — Rep. Tony Wied (R-WI) released the following statement after yesterday’s passage of the Lower Healthcare Premiums for All Americans Act.
“Let’s be very clear: Democrats singlehandedly created the healthcare system they are now railing against. Instead of working with us to address this issue, they would rather try to use it as political leverage in the midterms. Yesterday, House Republicans passed the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act to reform our broken system, expand choice and competition, and provide the transparency needed to lower health care costs for all Americans. If Democrats were serious about preventing hardworking Americans’ premiums from skyrocketing next year, they would have joined us to pass these commonsense reforms. Unfortunately, that was not the case.”
The Lower Healthcare Premiums for All Americans Act includes the following provisions to lower healthcare costs for hardworking American families:
- Codifies and expands Association Health Plans and CHOICE Arrangements to give small businesses and their employees access to more affordable health care options.
- Association Health Plans let small businesses team up to buy health insurance together, giving them access to lower group rates and wider provider networks instead of costly Obamacare marketplace plans.
- CHOICE Arrangements are an optional benefit that let employers give employees tax-free money to pay for health care, giving workers more choice while helping businesses control costs and avoid the hassle of running a full insurance plan.
- Funds Cost-Sharing Reductions (CSRs) to lower health insurance premiums for people who buy coverage on their own by 11%. By fully funding cost-sharing reductions, insurance companies wouldn’t need to raise premiums to cover their losses. As a result, premiums would go down for certain people, especially low-income individuals who need it most, saving taxpayers billions of dollars.
- Requires pharmacy benefit managers to be transparent with employers, giving small businesses the information they need to negotiate better deals and lower prescription drug costs for their employees.
