Political Quotes

“Mr. President, rising health care costs are a major concern for millions of Americans--whether it's expensive health insurance premiums, high out-of-pocket expenses, or soaring prescription drug costs. In the individual market, where 11.5 million Americans who do not have employer-sponsored insurance have to go to buy their insurance--including the 78,000 individuals in Maine-- premiums continue to rise exponentially. With this in mind, I am introducing the Premium Reduction Act of 2019 with my good friend and colleague, Senator Joe Manchin. Leading health care experts at Oliver Wyman indicate that our legislation would lower average health insurance premiums for consumers in the individual market by as much as 30 percent. In addition, more than a million more individuals would have health insurance that they now lack. Data from the Kaiser Family Foundation show premiums for the benchmark ``silver'' plans under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are nearly 75 percent higher than they were when the ACA went ``live'' in 2014. While individuals who are eligible for the ACA's premium tax credits are shielded from these increases, the price of these silver plans is out of reach for many who are not eligible for these tax credits. Even ``bronze plans''--the lowest cost individual market policies available through the ACA exchanges--have become unaffordable for those without subsidies.…”