Kilmer Votes to Lower Health Care Costs & Prescription Drug Prices

Hey, folks Derek Kilmer here from our nation's capital. Last Thursday actually saw two bad bits of health news. First, our country broke its record for new daily Corona virus cases and second, on that same day, the Trump administration filed a brief with the US Supreme Court seeking to repeal entirely the Affordable Care Act. That's really bad news for the folks I represent. Experts say that if the Administration is successful, 23 million Americans could lose their health coverage and about a 130 million people who have preexisting conditions could see their protections wiped out. So, rather than unwinding the progress that's been made, I actually think it makes sense for Congress to build on the success of the existing law and improve parts of it. And so today, that's what that did. The House passed a bill called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care and Enhancement Act. It's a bill that's really focused like a laser on helping middle-class American families get affordable health care. Among other things, the bill would lower health care costs by decreasing health insurance premiums. A lot of enrollees will see their premiums cut by half or more, and for the first time, no one will have to pay more than eight and a half percent of their income for a silver plan in the ACA marketplaces. It will expand Medicaid coverage so more people can get the care they need - it's expected that four to five million people will get covered if we can get this bill passed into law. It also focuses on addressing some of the health inequities - racial and ethnic health inequities - that exist. It includes provisions to fight maternal mortality by extending coverage to new moms. It's a really important bill. The bill interestingly also focuses on reducing prescription drug costs. It allows for price negotiation. This bill is a really big deal and could really help folks I represent so I wanted to make sure it was on your radar screen. It passed the House and hopefully we will see some action in the Senate and see some relief for the folks I represent. Thanks everybody.