March 22, 2021
The Honorable Frank Pallone
Chairman
Committee on Energy and Commerce
2125 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Anna Eshoo
Chairwoman, Health Subcommittee
Committee on Energy and Commerce
272 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Cathy McMorris Rodgers
Ranking Member
Committee on Energy and Commerce
2322 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Brett Guthrie
Ranking Member, Health Subcommittee
Committee on Energy and Commerce
2434 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Statement for the Record
“Building on the ACA: Legislation to Expand Health Coverage and Lower Costs”
The 28 undersigned organizations represent millions of patients and consumers who face serious, acute, and chronic health conditions. We have a unique perspective on what individuals and families need to prevent disease, cure illness, and manage chronic health conditions. The diversity of our organizations and the populations we serve enable us to draw upon a wealth of knowledge and expertise that we believe are critical components of any discussion aimed at improving or reforming our system of healthcare.
In early 2017, our organizations agreed upon three principles that we use to help guide our work
to continue to develop, improve upon, or defend the healthcare programs and services our communities need to live longer, healthier lives. These principles state that: (1) healthcare must be adequate, meaning that healthcare coverage should cover treatments patients need; (2) healthcare should be affordable, enabling patients to access the treatments they need to live healthy and productive lives; and (3) healthcare should be accessible, meaning that coverage should be easy to understand and not pose a barrier to care.
Today marks the 11th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act. The passage of the ACA resulted in drastic reductions of our nation’s uninsured rate and expanded coverage to millions of patients with pre- existing conditions. Our organizations strongly supported the steps to improve access to quality and affordable coverage in the American Rescue Plan, and we support the Committee’s continued work on key policies that impact patients with serious and chronic health conditions, including:
- Establishing federal reinsurance program to reduce premium costs for consumers,
- Limiting the proliferation of short-term, limited-duration plans,
- Strengthening and expanding outreach and enrollment resources for consumers,
- Fixing the premium adjustment factor,
- Strengthening network adequacy standards in the ACA marketplaces and beyond,
- Expanding continuous eligibility and streamlining enrollment in Medicaid,
- Strengthening the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and
- Expanding access to care for historically marginalized communities, including by addressing Medicaid funding for the territories and strengthening the Indian Health
We look forward to continuing to work with Congress to improve upon the advancements made by the Affordable Care Act to expand affordable, accessible and adequate healthcare coverage for patients.
Alpha-1 Foundation
ALS Association
American Cancer Society
Cancer Action Network
American Heart Association
American Kidney Fund
American Lung Association
Arthritis Foundation
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
Cancer Support Community
CancerCare
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Epilepsy Foundation
Family Voices
Hemophilia Federation of America
Lutheran Services in America
Muscular Dystrophy Association
National Alliance on Mental Illness
National Health Council
National Hemophilia Foundation
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
National Organization for Rare Disorders
National Patient Advocate Foundation
Pulmonary Hypertension Association
Susan G. Komen
The AIDS Institute
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
United Way Worldwide
WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease
