Senate Committee Leaders Reach Health Care Deal

Yesterday, Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Patty Murray (D-WA) reached a bipartisan deal to stabilize the Affordable Care Act insurance markets, although the bill’s future in the Senate remains unclear. The deal includes funding through 2019 for cost-sharing reduction payments which the President halted last week, and would allow states to use existing waivers to approve insurance plans with comparable costs. However, the deal would not allow states to remove the baseline requirements for what a health insurance plan must cover under Obamacare. 

So far, the deal has been cautiously received by both Congress and the Administration, and its potential for success remains unclear.  This comes after previous legislative efforts to repeal or replace the Affordable Care Act were defeated in the Senate.  
 
ASA physician leaders and staff will continue to provide updates on health care reform proposals.