U.S. Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC) introduced the Health Insurance Freedom Act of 2015 on Friday, a bill that would lower Obamacare insurance premiums by allowing patients to pick what services they want to include in their health plans.
“One of the many unfortunate consequences of Obamacare has been a drastic increase in premiums for North Carolinians,” Ellmers said. “This increase in cost is largely related to a provision within Obamacare mandating that insurance providers cover specific benefits in every health insurance plan – the problem is that many of these benefits are unusable to certain sectors of the population. For example, there are elderly populations who are paying for benefits like maternity, newborn care and pediatric services.”
Under Obamacare, individuals and the small group market are mandated to enroll in a health insurance plan that covers no less than 10 general categories referred to as “Essential Health Benefits” (EHB). The EHB mandate has been identified as the top reason insurance premiums are going up for millions of Americans, as these expanded benefits must be paid for by an increase in revenue.
The Health Insurance Freedom Act would ensure that Americans retain the option to choose specific services they want included in their health insurance plan. Under Ellmers’ plan, individuals can opt out of coverage they do not need or want, ultimately reducing premiums.
“My legislation, The Health Insurance Freedom Act, provides greater choice and lowers costs for patients by allowing them to choose the services they want included in their health insurance plans,” Ellmers added. “Each person should have the ability to decide what is truly ‘essential’ in their health plans— and the federal government should not force individuals to pay for services they do not need.”