Pallone leads a Roundtable Discussion
*Photos Submitted
Press Release 3/19/18
LONG BRANCH/PERTH AMBOY – Today at Raritan Bay Medical Center, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) and State Senator Joseph Vitale (NJ-19) met with New Jersey healthcare advocates to discuss the importance of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the Trump administration’s dangerous attempts to sabotage it. Congressman Pallone has introduced a comprehensive bill that would improve the Affordable Care Act Marketplaces by making health care more affordable and by reversing the harmful Trump Administration actions that have sabotaged the ACA.
“For the last year, the American people have consistently voiced their support for efforts to strengthen the Affordable Care Act and protect comprehensive coverage,” said Pallone. “Despite this support, the Trump administration has attempted to sabotage the ACA at every turn, jeopardizing coverage for millions and causing premiums to skyrocket. We are here today to stand united against President Trump’s extreme policies, and to work together to make health care more affordable and accessible.”
Pallone’s legislation would lower health care premiums for consumers by eliminating the cap on eligibility for premium tax credits, which are currently set at 400 percent of the federal poverty line (FPL), and will increase the size of the tax credit for all income brackets. The bill would also provide additional support for out-of-pocket costs by expanding eligibility for cost-sharing subsidies from 250 percent of the FPL to 400 percent, and would make cost-sharing subsidies more generous for those below 250 percent of the FPL. In October, President Trump decided to default on cost-sharing subsidies that help more than seven million hardworking Americans afford their out-of-pocket health care costs.
State Senator Joseph F. Vitale (NJ-19), Chairman of the Senate Health, Human Services, and Senior Citizens Committee, has introduced two bills that would maintain the viability of the ACA’s individual mandate and establish a reinsurance fund to help stabilize the insurance market in New Jersey.
Pallone’s bill would also reverse harmful actions by the Trump Administration that undermine consumer protections in the health care system. Specifically, the bill would:
• Prevent the expansion of Association Health Plans from going into effect. These bare-bones plans are not required to include protections for people with pre-existing conditions or the essential health benefits package.
• Prevent the Trump Administration from moving forward on a rule proposed last month that would allow insurance companies to discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions by offering junk plans that provide limited benefits and little financial protection from health care costs. The legislation would require short-term limited duration health plans to play by the same rules as ACA-compliant plans.
• Prevent the Trump Administration from weakening protections for Essential Health Benefits (EHBs), which would leave consumers with less comprehensive plans that may not cover needed services, such as prescription drugs, maternity care, and substance use disorder treatment.
As Chairman of the Health Subcommittee during in 2009 and 2010, Pallone played a key role in authoring and passing the Affordable Care Act. He is now Ranking Member of the full Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees health.
The panelists included
• Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr.
• Sen. Joseph F. Vitale
• Shereef M. Elnahal, New Jersey Health Commissioner
• Bob Garrett Co-CEO Hackensack Meridian Health
• Russ Molloy HMH Senior VP Government Relations
• Tara Rosenberg HMH Navigator
• Barbara Scholz Fulfill, Director of Advocacy and Programs
• Ray Castro New Jersey Policy Perspective, Director of Health Policy
• Maura Collinsgru NJ Citizen Action, Health Care Program Director
• Ward Sanders NJ Association of Health Plans, President
• Lisa Wade Social Oncology Worker, Ocean Medical Center
• Edward Kelly Case Manager, Early Intervention – HIV Team
