Sec. 2. Findings
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Congress makes the following findings: Before the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ( Public Law 114–148 ) in 2010, Americans with pre-existing conditions faced unfair barriers to accessing health insurance coverage and health care costs had risen rapidly for decades. Since 2010, the rate of uninsured Americans has declined to a historic low, with more than 20,000,000 Americans gaining access to health insurance coverage. Since 2010, America has experienced the slowest growth in the price of health care in over five decades.
Thanks to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ( Public Law 114–148 ), Americans can no longer be denied insurance or charged more on the basis of their health status, more Americans than ever have insurance, and the health care they receive is continually improving. Starting in 2016, independent, non-partisan organizations, including the Congressional Budget Office, have determined that the individual health insurance markets have stabilized and improved. The cost-sharing reduction payments in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act provide stability in the individual health insurance market, lower insurance premiums by nearly 20 percent, and encourage competition among health insurers.
The payments reduce costs for approximately 6,000,000 people with incomes below 250 percent of the poverty line by an average of about $1,100 per person and should be increased to help more Americans. Risk mitigation programs, such as the reinsurance program for the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit program, have provided additional stability to the health insurance markets, restrained premium growth, and lowered taxpayer costs by helping health insurers predict and bear risk associated with managing health care costs for a population.
From 2014 to 2016, the temporary reinsurance program established under the Affordable Care Act helped to stabilize the new insurance marketplaces and reduced insurance premiums in the individual health insurance market by as much as 10 percent. Throughout his Presidential campaign, the President of the United States repeatedly promised the American people that his health care plan will result in reduced rates of uninsured, lower costs, and higher quality care, stating on January 14, 2017, that We’re going to have insurance for everybody.
There was a philosophy in some circles that if you can’t pay for it, you don’t get it. That’s not going to happen with us ; and on January 25, 2017, that I can assure you, we are going to have a better plan, much better health care, much better service treatment, a plan where you can have access to the doctor that you want and the plan that you want. We’re gonna have a much better health care plan at much less money . The goal of any health care legislation should be to build on the Affordable Care Act to continue expanding coverage and make health care more affordable for Americans.
Improving affordability and expanding coverage will also broaden the individual market risk pool, contributing to lower premiums and strengthening market stability.
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Sec. 2
Findings
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