Kuster Questions Health Care Experts, Discusses Steps Forward to Improve the ACA
Press Release
Today, Rep. Annie Kuster (NH-02), a member of the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, joined a Subcommittee hearing titled, "Building on the ACA: Legislation to Expand Health Coverage and Lower Costs." The Subcommittee heard from health experts about the importance and impact of the ACA, and how Congress can help to bolster the legislation for all Americans.
"In the 11 years since the Affordable Care Act was signed into law, the ACA has resulted in more than 20 million Americans gaining health coverage," said Rep. Kuster. "And while this legislation was a critical step for our nation's health care system, there's still more we can do to ensure the ACA works better for all Americans. There are over 52 million Americans, and over 200,000 Granite Staters, who live with pre-existing conditions every single day, and could have been denied access to health care prior to the ACA."
"The ACA required insurance companies to comply with comprehensive consumer protections -- however, junk plans are exempt from them," Rep. Kuster continued. "These junk plans put vulnerable Americans at risk and leave families with massive surprise bills. I strongly support Ms. Castor's bill to subject these junk plans to the ACA's comprehensive consumer protections, and am pleased that today, I reintroduced my legislation, the Protecting Americans with Pre-Existing Conditions Act, to ensure consumer protections from the ACA cannot be undermined."
Witnesses at today's hearing included:
Katie Keith
Associate Research Professor, Georgetown University
Dean Cameron
Director, Idaho Department of Insurance
Cindy Mann
Partner, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP
Marni Jameson Carey
Executive Director, Association of Independent Doctors
Laura LeBrun Hatcher
Board Vice President, Little Lobbyists
Rep. Kuster has been a leader in Congress to protect individuals with preexisting conditions and expand access to high-quality, affordable health care. In December, Kuster led a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services urging transparency in the upcoming Contact Center Operations (CCO) contract proposals. Today, Rep. Kuster reintroduced the Protecting Americans with Preexisting Conditions Act, legislation that would safeguard individuals with preexisting conditions from being denied coverage or charged more.
Source