Healthcare
More on Healthcare
Dear Neighbor:
I am hearing from many constituents who have received notices that their healthcare premiums are skyrocketing, or their plans are being dropped either by their employers or their insurers, or that they are having hours cut back, salaries reduced or positions eliminated at work as employers try to cope with these increased costs.
I need to know how this law is affecting you. I invite you to share your experience with me so that I can get a clearer picture of how this program is unfolding and so that I can share your experiences with my colleagues.
HR 1628 – American Health Care Act: YES. Obamacare is collapsing. Last year’s average premium increase of 25 percent is expected to balloon by another 40 percent this year. Last year there was only one provider in a third of American counties; this year entire regions will be without ANY providers. This week we learned Obamacare policies will NOT be available at any price in almost all of Iowa. Last year, more Americans opted to pay the steep tax penalty or request hardship exclusions than chose to purchase Obamacare plans they didn’t want and couldn’t afford.
H.R. 1304 – Self Insurance Protection Act: YES. Some employers set up their own employee health care fund, and will often buy stop-loss insurance that picks up costs above a certain amount, thus protecting the employer from catastrophic losses and assuring employees’ expenses are covered. Some states are attempting to regulate these stop loss agreements as health insurance, driving them out of the market. This bill makes clear that these contracts are financial instruments and not to be regulated as if they were end-user health insurance.
H.R. 6 – 21st Century Cures ACT: YES. This bill expedites FDA approvals for new medical drugs and devices and authorizes spending on major research into cancer and Alzheimer’s. I voted against the original bill because it established multiple new mandatory spending programs outside of Congress’ annual appropriations review and depended primarily on budget gimmicks to pay for them. This version replaces the mandatory spending aspects of the bill with discretionary spending that Congress must review and approve ever year, and greatly reduces the pay-for gimmicks.
Zika Funding
A recent letter writer asks my position on Zika funding and why Congress has not acted.
With my support, the House voted in June to appropriate $1.1 billion to combat Zika – the result of a bi-partisan conference agreement. There was no debate on the measure, because it was taken up on the day House Democrats staged their sit-in, physically blocking access to the microphones and shouting down any who tried to speak from the well. Nevertheless, the bill passed on a vote of 239-171, with most Democrats opposing.