Steve Lynch: “My amendment would extend by 1 year the deadline by which States may apply for Federal grant assistance to set up…”

“My amendment would extend by 1 year the deadline by which States may apply for Federal grant assistance to set up State-based health insurance markets, moving the deadline from December 31, 2022, to December 31, 2023. {time} 1630 My amendment would also extend by 1 year the corresponding date by which the exchanges must be self-sustaining, from January 1, 2024, to January 1, 2025. Currently, 11 States and the District of Columbia have such health insurance exchanges. However, no health exchanges have been established since the ACA's original deadline of 2015. While I do support H.R. 987's language which provides an additional 2-year window for States to establish their own insurance exchanges, given the complexity of the current debate with the possibility of single-payer healthcare out there and also Medicare for All, it is my hope and expectation that, by extending these application periods from 2 to 3 years, more States will have the opportunity to weigh those outstanding options and explore the option to establish their own State-based exchanges. It was reported recently that the Governor of New Jersey, for example, has announced that his State would seek to establish its own State-based healthcare exchange for 2021.…”