House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) urged President Barack Obama on Friday to support the Keep Your Health Plan Act to ensure that the Affordable Care Act doesn’t lead to widespread cancellations of insurance policies.
The bill would allow insurance companies to extend insurance plans that were in effect on Jan. 1 through 2014 without going through the healthcare exchange platform established by the ACA. The extended health plans would then be “grandfathered” to meet new minimal essential coverage requirements.
Upton’s call for Obama to support the Keep Your Health Plan Act followed the president’s admission during an interview on Thursday that he was “sorry” about individuals losing their insurance coverage. Obama pledged to take corrective action.
“Actions speak louder than words,” Upton said. “If the president is serious about offering relief to Americans whose health plans are being canceled, then he should strongly support the Keep Your Health Plan Act. This bill is a simple solution that would begin to restore health care peace of mind.”
Legislators have also pushed the president to delay ACA’s individual healthcare mandate and to ensure that a system is in place to verify subsidy eligibility and prevent fraud.
“Rather than another regulatory patch or holiday weekend blog post, the president ought to embrace the bipartisan call for legislative action to allow Americans to keep the health plans they know and like, and can afford,” Upton said.