Major groups representing doctors, hospitals, insurers and businesses are urging Congress to pass two Obamacare stabilization bills.
The groups sent a letter to congressional leaders Tuesday supporting a bill that would hand out Obamacare insurer payments and give states $10 billion over two years to help prop up Obamacare insurers. The letter comes as congressional appropriators are deciding what to put in a two-year spending bill that lawmakers are expected to vote on this month.
“Immediate action is necessary to reduce premiums for individuals and families that purchase coverage on their own,” the letter said. “We commend the hard work that Republicans and Democrats have done to come together to agree on how to improve affordability.”
Sens. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., sponsored the bill on Obamacare payments, which also would give more flexibility to states to waive Obamacare regulations. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Bill Nelson, D-Fla., sponsored the bill to provide $10 billion in reinsurance funding, which would help Obamacare insurers cover their highest claims to lower premiums overall.
Both bills have stalled in the Senate because of opposition in the House, where many Republicans oppose measures they say are “bailouts” for a law that is failing.
Alexander has said that the plan is to include the bills in the spending bill, but inclusion hasn’t been confirmed.
The healthcare groups pointed to an independent analysis from consulting firms Oliver Wyman and Avalere Health that found the bills could lower premiums on Obamacare’s marketplaces by up to 27 percent in 2019. They also could lead to an increase in insurance coverage of as much as 1.7 million people.
“Congress has an important opportunity to act and reduce premiums for consumers for 2019, but time is running short,” the letter said.
Insurance lobby America’s Health Insurance Plans, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Benefits Council, American Hospital Association, American Medical Association, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Federation of American Hospitals and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce signed on to the letter.
