Frank Pallone discusses opportunities for new Congress to stabilize ACA, improve nation’s health care

Highland Park — New Jersey Congressman Frank Pallone  (D-6^th) joined advocates and state residents for a tele-town hall today on what steps the new Congress can take to stabilize and improve the nation’s health care system. Healthcare voters played a critical role in the blue wave that flipped the House of Representatives and four New Jersey Republican Congressional seats in the November mid-term elections. Pallone, current ranking minority member of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, spoke on legislative opportunities to stabilize the Affordable Care Act, undo damage resulting from Trump administration policies, and expand access to health care coverage to Americans who don’t have it.

“For the last two years the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans worked tirelessly to sabotage the ACA and to remove protections for those with pre-existing conditions,” said Pallone.“House Democrats will now have the opportunity to hold the Trump administration accountable and to strengthen the ACA. It is essential that citizens remain engaged with our ongoing fight to provide quality healthcare for the American people and I appreciate New Jersey Citizen Action bringing us together for this call.”

For nearly two years Congressional Republicans and the Trump administration have deliberately sabotaged access to affordable, comprehensive health coverage for millions of Americans. These actions—ranging from the attempted repeal of the ACA to undermining outreach efforts to get people covered, to paying for huge tax cuts for the wealth by cutting back on healthcare for middle class American– led to skyrocketing premiums and some 3 million more Americans uninsured in 2017. New Jersey fought back against the sabotage in 2018, with the Murphy administration overseeing the passage of an individual state mandate and a re-insurance program for high health claims.  These critical steps resulted in premiums for marketplace plans in New Jersey dropping by an average of 9.3 percent for 2019.

The Undo Sabotage and Expand Affordability of Health Insurance Act, introduced by Pallone and fellow Congressional Democrats in March of this year, would help stabilize the ACA nationally and make quality healthcare more affordable for millions of more Americans. In addition to providing funding for re-insurance for high health claims, the act would allow more people to qualify for subsidies for premiums and out-of-pocket costs and ensure that families  who don’t have offers of affordable coverage from employers can still quality for marketplace subsidies. The act would roll back Trump administration efforts to undermine health coverage protections by halting the expansion of “junk plans” with limited benefits and little financial protection, and curtailing efforts to allow states to weaken standards for essential health benefits.

Finally the act would enhance outreach efforts by requiring open enrollment outreach, education and accountability for federal dollars spent in these areas. It would also empower states to establish their own marketplaces and invest in state efforts to increase enrollment, educate consumers of their rights and help individuals navigate the health insurance program.

“Voters made it loud and clear in the November mid-term elections that healthcare was a top priority and that they wanted a stop to the ACA sabotage,” said Maura Collinsgru, health care program director for New Jersey Citizen Action.  “Now that we’ve made the ACA safe from repeal we can focus our energies on stabilizing the ACA and improving our nation’s health care system for everyone.”