Sam Graves Votes to Protect 6th District Missourians Access to Quality Health Plans
Sam Graves Votes to Protect 6th District Missourians Access to Quality Health Plans
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Sam Graves (MO-06), House Small Business Committee Chairman, released the following statement after voting in favor of H.R. 3522, the Employee Healthcare Protection Act, to ensure that 6th District Missourians can keep the health plan of their choice.
"We all remember President Obama's promise that if you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan. Unfortunately for the American people, this has turned out to be yet another in a long line of empty promises at best," said Rep. Graves. "Obamacare has become nothing more than a series of delays and broken promises. Recently, it has been projected that roughly 50 million hardworking Americans could face cancellations or disruptions to their care. This is unacceptable and I am glad that the House of Representatives took action today to ensure that the promise of access to a quality health care plan of your choosing is kept," Rep. Graves Continued.
"At the end of the day, this is yet another reason why the ill-conceived and unworkable law must be repealed. If President Obama and Democrats in Congress were serious about keeping their promise to the American people, they would join with us to address these issues immediately."
Background
In a statement before the American Medical Association, the President stated "we will keep this promise to the American people: if you like your doctor you will be able to keep your doctor, period. If you like your health care plan, you'll be able to keep your health care plan, period." Yet, last fall, millions of Americans all across the nation had their health care plans cancelled despite repeated promises from the president and others that if they liked their plan, Americans would be able to keep it. While the cancellations last fall impacted primarily those in the individual market, the employer-sponsored market is not insulated from the Affordable Care Act. Starting this fall, millions of Americans who have employer-sponsored health care insurance are expected to lose their current coverage. Insurance experts before the Energy and Commerce Committee testified that approximately 50 million American workers with fully-insured health coverage could face plan cancellations or disruptions due to Affordable Care Act requirements. H.R. 3522 would allow those individuals to keep their current plans.
Actuaries at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have also estimated that approximately 65% of small businesses face a premium increase under the Affordable Care Act. In addition to preserving these health care plans for those enrolled in non-ACA compliant plans, H.R. 3522 would also allow other small businesses and their workers to choose from non-ACA compliant plans offered in 2013. This option would provide relief for workers who stand to see a premium increase based the Administration's own analysis.