The full report is here: The Health Care Congress: Cost, Coverage, Consumer Protections

This agenda will be distributed to every member of Congress, but please help us spread the word by sharing on social media (please retweet!).

For a quick version, here is a summary of the report:

1 Do Everything Possible to Overturn the Federal Court Decision that Struck Down the Affordable Care Act

◦ Oppose the Texas ruling by a conservative federal judge in the Northern District of Texas that overturned the entire Affordable Care Act by passing a Senate Resolution to similar to the House measure that authorizes the House legal counsel to intervene in the lawsuit and oppose the Republican attorneys general, governors, and Trump Administration who are continuing the war on health care through the courts.

2 End the War on People with Pre-Existing Conditions

◦Stop insurance companies from selling junk health insurance that allows them to deny quality, affordable coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.  These kinds of short term plans should be limited to three-months with no option for renewal.

◦Guarantee protections for pre-existing conditions and essential health benefits. Require all health plans to cover the “essential health benefits” included in the law, ensure guaranteed issue and community rating, and prohibit insurance companies from imposing lifetime and annual limits on the amount of care a patient can receive.

3 Lower Costs

◦Lower the costs of prescription drugs. Pass legislation to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices for all beneficiaries; end price gouging by requiring drug manufacturers to give notice and justify significant price increases; and require transparency of rebate amounts.

◦End surprise medical bills. 57 percent of Americans have received a surprise bill. Too many  people go to a hospital or Emergency Room that is in their network, but get billed for services provided out-of-network, subjecting them to huge bills, as much as six figures. Congress should pass legislation to end surprise medical bills and limit the amount a provider can charge to a negotiated rate.

◦Expand financial assistance by expanding the eligibility for premium tax credits above 400 percent of the federal poverty limit and increase the size of the tax credit for all income brackets.

◦Expand services before deductibles, examples would include three primary care visits and one specialist visit that are not subject to a plan’s deductible.

4 End Republican Sabotage

◦Fully support Open Enrollment by restoring funding to the pre-Trump levels and making all information about ways to sign up for coverage easily accessible for everyone.

◦Oppose waivers that undermine the ACA and allow states to skirt key provisions of the law.

5 Strengthen Medicaid and Medicare

◦ Improve Medicare’s affordability by adding an out-of-pocket maximum after which beneficiaries would be protected from additional costs; including prescription drugs in the limit on out-of-pocket spending; adding coverage for vision, hearing, and dental; and making cost-sharing more affordable.

◦ Extend and increase federal funding for Medicaid expansion.

6 Conduct Oversight on Trump Administration Actions that Undermine The Affordable Care Act

◦ Topics to conduct oversight on include the Trump Justice Department’s decision not to defend all of the Affordable Care Act in federal court, cuts to outreach and navigator funding, rules opening the door to junk insurance, 1332 guidance that allows federal funds to be used to purchase skimpy health plans, relationships between Administration political appointees and regulated industries, the administration’s push to encourage states to impose work requirements on Medicaid coverage, drug prices and pharmaceutical profits.

Please help us amplify and share!

Matt Sinovic

Progress Iowa