In
a
letter
last
week,
12
Democrats
in
the
Senate
Finance
Committee
laid
out
their
plans
for
healthcare,
aiming
to
lower
costs,
make
it
easier
to
get
insurance
and
address
corporate
greed.
The
senators
include
ranking
member
of
the
committee,
Ron
Wyden
(D-Oregon),
as
well
as
Elizabeth
Warren
(D-Massachusetts)
and
Tammy
Baldwin
(D-Wisconsin).
The
policies
explained
in
the
letter
aim
to
achieve
three
main
goals:
1.
Reverse
Republican
cost
increases:
This
past
year,
the
Affordable
Care
Act
enhanced
premium
tax
credits
expired.
These
lowered
premiums
for
those
receiving
healthcare
on
the
marketplaces,
a
policy
that
Democrats
largely
supported
extending,
while
Republicans
largely
opposed.
The
expiration
of
the
tax
credits
has
led
to
premiums
doubling
on
average.
The
Democratic
senators
said
they
would
like
to
reverse
these
cuts
to
health
coverage.
They
would
also
like
to
expand
pathways
to
coverage
for
low-income
people,
such
as
those
in
states
that
have
not
expanded
Medicaid.
In
addition,
they’d
like
to
end
junk
insurance
plans
and
eliminate
surprise
tax
bills.
2.
Make
healthcare
simpler:
Many
Americans
struggle
using
their
health
insurance
due
to
issues
like
provider
network
problems,
denied
claims
and
delayed
care
from
administrative
burdens,
the
letter
explained.
The
senators
would
like
to
set
up
a
“one-stop
shop”
for
coverage
to
make
it
easier
to
enroll
in
a
plan,
as
well
as
standardize
plans
and
benefits
so
consumers
can
make
“apples-to-apples
comparisons.”
3.
Take
on
corporate
greed:
The
senators
said
that
Americans
don’t
want
to
be
“nickeled
and
dimed
or
buried
in
red
tape
by
the
same
companies
that
collect
thousands
of
dollars
in
premiums
from
them
each
year.”
They
claimed
that
Republicans
have
ignored
these
calls.
The
senators
said
they
will
develop
policies
that
will
ensure
federal
funds
support
quality
care,
and
crack
down
on
insurance
industry
practices
that
inflate
costs
and
reduce
competition.
They
noted
that
they’ll
stop
corporate
insurance
companies
from
making
money
by
acting
as
“unaccountable
middlemen”
that
delay
care
and
deny
claims.
The
letter
added
that
the
senators
will
release
more
details
on
these
policies
in
the
coming
weeks
and
months.
“The
American
people
need
relief
from
rising
premiums
and
deductibles
that
are
forcing
families
into
financial
ruin,”
the
senators
said
in
the
letter.
“They
also
want
an
insurance
system
that
doesn’t
require
them
to
jump
through
hoops
and
hack
through
red
tape
every
time
they
need
care,
and
they
expect
their
elected
officials
to
root
out
the
business
practices
and
middlemen
that
harm
the
very
people
that
for-profit
insurance
companies
receive
billions
in
taxpayer
funding
to
serve.
Trump
and
Republicans
have
used
their
majority
to
increase
Americans’
health
care
costs
and
put
new
barriers
between
families
and
the
care
they
need.
Democrats
can
enact
reforms
that
put
patients
over
profits
and
consumers
over
complexity.”
It’s
worth
noting
that
Republicans
have
also
signaled
that
they’d
like
to
address
healthcare
affordability,
though
they
have
different
ideas
for
tackling
this
issue.
Many
are
in
favor
of
sending
money
directly
to
eligible
Americans
through
their
health
savings
account
so
they
can
purchase
their
own
coverage,
as
detailed
in
Trump’s
Great
Healthcare
Plan.
Photo:
halbergman,
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