24 Oct 2017 Now Is the Time to Advance Legislation to Stabilize the Individual Insurance Market in Health
The following is an Open Letter to Congress from former Senate Majority Leaders Bill Frist, M.D., and Tom Daschle.
“As Co-Chairs of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Future of Health Care initiative, we applaud the tireless efforts of Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Patty Murray (D-WA), the chairman and ranking member the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, to reach a bipartisan agreement on a near-term insurance market stabilization proposal.
“We are also encouraged to see our former colleagues from both sides of the aisle joining together to support this bill that will make health insurance more affordable for consumers, help states innovate, and pave the way for broader reforms to health care in America.
“We are also encouraged to see our former colleagues from both sides of the aisle joining together to support this bill that will make health insurance more affordable for consumers, help states innovate, and pave the way for broader reforms to health care in America.
No one party can ‘own’ national health policy solutions that work for Americans and are sustainable over the long-term.
“This short-term proposal aligns with recommendations we released in September at BPC with a group of Republican and Democratic health care policy leaders to address the cost of insurance premiums.
“No one party can ‘own’ national health policy solutions that work for Americans and are sustainable over the long-term. Meaningful, durable solutions require difficult compromises. Health care touches the lives of every American and makes up nearly one-fifth of our nation’s economy – it warrants thorough, bipartisan debate and action now.
“Following months of partisan debate, Congress now has the unique opportunity to address the real near-term challenges Americans face in accessing affordable health insurance coverage, and the hurdles states face in devising innovative coverage solutions.
“We strongly encourage swift action on this legislative package.”
Sincerely,
