Today, members of Congress launched the Build Back Better Act, a bipartisan bill designed to make health insurance work better and do a better job of saving lives.
The legislation would address a range of challenges in the way the health care system delivers coverage, including:
Getting individual insurance policies to cover mental health and substance use.
Growing out the ability for people to secure catastrophic coverage that costs less than $1,000 a year.
Providing more options for both individual and employer insurance.
Reforming the way payments are made to pay doctors and hospitals in an effort to better value care.
These measures could save billions of dollars in the process, effectively lowering premiums for Americans who obtain coverage through marketplace exchanges and Medicaid, boost coverage for people who have multiple coverage options, ensure more of those who buy their own coverage receive care and end health disparities across the country.
These reforms could help make Obamacare’s marketplaces work better for patients and help us achieve the health coverage successes we have seen for millions of Americans.
The Build Back Better Act already has support from Republican and Democratic co-sponsors. I have submitted an amendment to the reauthorization of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), recognizing that an important part of the bill is ensuring that states can make their policies available to all children regardless of their ability to pay.
“The Build Back Better Act shows that lawmakers and stakeholders can come together to do more to make affordable and high-quality health care a reality for all Americans,” said Carolyn S. Clancy, a former acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. “This is an excellent example of Republicans and Democrats coming together to address problems in the health care system.”