Congress must strengthen the Affordable Care Act, rein in the high price of drugs and ease the Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital cuts, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said today at the AHA Annual Membership Meeting.
She talked about a “common goal of affordable, quality health care coverage for all,” and said there were a number of paths being discussed by Democrats to get to that goal, including Medicare for All and a single payer system. “All of that creative tension is valuable as we go forward, but we can’t go down any path unless you strengthen the Affordable Care Act,” Pelosi said.
Specifically, she talked about the Protecting Pre-existing Conditions and Making Health Care More Affordable Act of 2019 – a legislative package designed to build on the ACA to expand health insurance coverage for individuals and protect patients with pre-existing conditions.
Pelosi also said Congress must take action to ease the Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital cuts scheduled to take effect Oct. 1. In addition, Pelosi talked about developing legislation to “use the buying power of Medicare to deliver lower cost prices – not just for seniors, but for every American,” and that she would insist the Health and Human Services Secretary negotiate for lower drug prices.
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Date: April 17, 2019
Source: American Hospital Association
