Members of the New Democrat Coalition Help Lead Effort to Improve Access to Affordable Health Care

Last week, the Energy and Commerce Committee advanced five pieces of legislation championed by New Democrat Coalition members to help lower the costs of health care and strengthen protections for individuals with pre-existing conditions. The efforts come as the Trump Administration aims to eliminate the Affordable Care Act in its entirety. New Dems have been at the forefront of efforts to improve the health care system, and will continue to fight for affordable and universal coverage.

Last Congress, the New Dems proposed “Solutions over Politics” to stabilize the individual market, protect coverage for people with pre-existing conditions, keep costs down for lower income folks, promote enrollment and ensure everyone pays their fair share. The plan also called for improvements to the ACA, including ways to reduce churn in the market and to draw bidding areas to ensure that no area is left at a disadvantage. 

This Congress, the New Dems urged House leaders to prioritize strengthening the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and continue the path toward affordable universal coverage. We have been heartened by Democratic Leadership’s steps to undo the sabotage done to the ACA, and look forward to building on this work through the legislative progress of our Members.

“We know that there are concrete steps we can take to improve our health care system so that everyone is able to access affordable, quality care,” said Congresswoman Annie Kuster, New Democrat Coalition Vice Chair for Communications and Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health member. “The Affordable Care Act was an important step toward realizing the goal of universal access to health care, but the fact is it has not delivered for all Americans. That’s why we are focused on bringing together Democrats and Republicans to take steps that will strengthen our health care system and ensure no one is left behind. The American people have made clear that they are tired of partisan efforts to undermine the ACA and politics at the expense of the health and wellbeing of families across the country. The New Democrat Coalition is committed to delivering on the promise of expanding access to the health care that families across the country need and deserve.”

The legislation advanced last week includes: 

• H.R. 986, the “Protecting Americans with Preexisting Conditions Act of 2019,” introduced by Rep. Ann M. Kuster (D-NH).
• H.R. 1425, the “State Health Care Premium Reduction Act,” introduced by Reps. Angie Craig (D-MN) and Scott Peters (D-CA).
• H.R. 938, the "Bringing Low-cost Options and Competition while Keeping Incentives for New Generics (BLOCKING) Act of 2019," introduced by Reps. Kurt Schrader (D-OR) and Buddy Carter (R-GA).
• H.R. 987, the “Marketing and Outreach Restoration to Empower (MORE) Health Education Act of 2019,” introduced by Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE).
• H.R. 1781, the “Payment Commission Data Act of 2019,” introduced by Reps. Buddy Carter (R-GA), Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ), Tom Rice (R-SC), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Greg Gianforte (R-MT), and Peter Welch (D-VT).