Washington, DC — Today, Representative Lucy McBath (GA-06) joined her colleagues in introducing the Protecting Pre-Existing Conditions & Making Health Care More Affordable Act of 2019, a bill to protect Americans with pre-existing conditions and lower health care costs.

“As a two-time breast cancer survivor, I came to Congress to protect health care for Georgians with pre-existing conditions and to make health care more affordable and accessible. Today, the House of Representatives took a big step towards delivering on these promises by introducing the Protecting Pre-Existing Conditions & Making Health Care More Affordable Act.” McBath said. “I’m proud that this bill includes language from my bill that I introduced with my colleagues earlier this year – the Marketing and Outreach Restoration to Empower (MORE) Health Education Act – a bill that would restore funding for outreach and enrollment assistance to ensure strong Marketplaces, encourage robust enrollment, and provide consumers that tools they need to stay healthy. There is still more work to be done to lower costs, but I’m motivated by the stories and concerns of Georgians as we work to find solutions.”

The Protecting Pre-Existing Conditions & Making Health Care More Affordable Act includes language from the MORE Health Education Act – a bill Rep. McBath introduced with Reps. Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE-AL), Kathy Castor (FL-14), and Dan Kildee (MI-5), in February. The legislation would reverse funding cuts to Affordable Care Act education, marketing, and outreach efforts and would assist providers and navigators in educating Americans about open enrollment dates, coverage options, and financial support available to the public.

Earlier this month, Rep. McBath joined 76 of her colleagues in the New Democrat Coalition in sending a letter to Ways and Means Committee Chairman Neal, Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Pallone, and Education and Labor Committee Chairman Scott urging them to prioritize strengthening the Affordable Care Act to ensure those with pre-existing conditions have access to affordable coverage.

Rep. McBath is a member of the House Education and Labor Committee, where they recently held a hearing to examine threats to workers living with pre-existing conditions. Through her work on the Committee and in Congress, she will continue working to reduce health care costs and improve access to care for Georgians and for all Americans, and looks forward to working with her colleagues on both sides of the aisle.

The Protecting Pre-Existing Conditions & Making Health Care More Affordable Act of 2019 includes provisions that will:

Lower health insurance premiums with strengthened and expanded affordability assistance

Strengthening tax credits in the Marketplace to lower Americans’ health insurance premiums and allows more middle-class individuals and families to qualify for subsidies;

Ensuring that families who don’t have an offer of affordable coverage from an employer can still qualify for subsidies in the Marketplace; and,

Providing funding for reinsurance, to help with high cost claims, improve Marketplace stability, and prevent efforts to undermine the ACA from raising premiums.

Strengthen protections for people with pre-existing conditions

Curtailing efforts to give states waivers to undermine protections for people with pre-existing conditions and weaken standards for essential health benefits, which would leave consumers with less comprehensive plans that do not cover needed services, such as prescription drugs, maternity care, and substance use disorder treatment.

Stop insurance companies from selling junk health insurance plans

Stopping efforts to push Americans into junk health insurance plans that do not provide coverage for essential medical treatments and drugs, and that are allowed to discriminate against people with pre-existing medical conditions.

Efforts to undermine the Affordable Care Act have needlessly driven up premiums and uninsured rates, and empower states to innovate and invest in enrolling more people in affordable health coverage

Requiring open enrollment outreach, education, and funding for navigators;

Investing in state efforts to conduct outreach to increase enrollment, educate consumers of their rights, and help individuals navigate the health insurance system;

Empowering states to implement new approaches to increasing enrollment and allows states to set up their own Marketplaces; and

Holding the Administration accountable for its use of federal dollars dedicated to increasing enrollment, outreach and running the federal exchange.

A one-page summary is available HERE.

A section-by-section is available HERE.

Text of the bill is available HERE.

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