Political Quotes

“I thank the majority leader for his response. Second, it is critical that we provide States with the support they need to create State-based high-risk pools for their individual health insurance markets. In September, I introduced the bipartisan Lower Premiums Through Reinsurance Act of 2017, a bill that would allow States to protect people with preexisting conditions while lowering premiums through the use of these high-risk pools. That bill would create a menu of options States could use to design reinsurance programs, which in turn would be eligible for Federal ``seed money'' grants that could leverage section 1332 ``flow-through'' funding to finance the programs. States may also add funds from other sources to the mix. We know from the experience of Alaska and Maine just how effective such high-risk pools can be. Alaska's pool reduced a projected 40 percent rate increase to just 7 percent this year and is expected to contribute to a 20-percent decline in premiums next year. Maine saw similar results in its program, the Maine Guaranteed Access Reinsurance Association. I believe that passage of legislation to create and provide $5 billion in funding for high-risk pools annually over 2 years, together with the Bipartisan Health Care Stabilization Act, is critical for helping to offset the impact on individual market premiums in 2019 and 2020 due to repeal of the individual mandate. Mr. McCONNELL.…”