Heidi Alexander: “this afternoon, Senator Murray, the Senator from Washington State who is the ranking member of the Senate Committee on…”

“this afternoon, Senator Murray, the Senator from Washington State who is the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, and I, the chairman of the committee, made a joint bipartisan announcement that the Senate's HELP Committee will hold hearings beginning the week of September 4 on the actions Congress should take to stabilize and strengthen the individual health insurance market so Americans will be able to buy insurance at affordable prices in the year 2018. We will hear from State insurance commissioners, from patients, from Governors, from healthcare experts, and insurance companies. Committee staff will begin work this week, working with all committee members to prepare for these hearings and discussions. That was the announcement Senator Murray and I made today. Now, in my own words, the reason for these hearings is that unless Congress acts by September 27, when insurance companies must sign contracts with the Federal Government to sell insurance on the Federal exchange next year, millions of Americans with government subsidies in up to half of our States may find themselves with zero options for buying health insurance on the exchanges next year, 2018. Many others without government subsidies will find themselves unable to afford health insurance because of rising premiums, copays, and deductibles.…”