Senator Collins Joins Bipartisan Group of 24 Senators to Cosponsor Legislation to Stabilize Premiums, Increase Access to Insurance

Source: Senator Susan M. Collins - (R - ME)

Washington, D.C. - October 23, 2017 - (The Ponder News) -- U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a member of the Senate Health Committee, joined a group of 24 senators – 12 Republicans and 12 Democrats led by Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) – who support bipartisan legislation to help stabilize premiums and access to insurance in individual health insurance markets.

“This legislation would help stabilize the markets while maintaining protections for people with preexisting conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, and cancer,” said Senator Collins. “The bipartisan agreement will prevent premiums from going up by an average of 20 percent, preserve subsidies that help very low-income people afford their out-of-pocket costs, dissuade more insurers from fleeing the market, and provide more flexibility for states to experiment and innovate. I applaud Senators Alexander and Murray for their hard work as well as their ability to set aside their differences to find a bipartisan compromise. It is critical that this legislation be passed quickly so that it can have a positive impact on insurance rates this year and prevent chaos in the market.”

Senators Alexander and Murray said, “We have reached an agreement on bipartisan legislation that will extend cost-sharing reduction payments during 2018 and 2019, protect consumers facing higher premiums this year, and give states meaningful flexibility to create greater choices among health insurance policies in the individual health insurance market.”

“The goal of this bipartisan legislation is to stabilize and then lower the cost of health insurance premiums and ensure that Americans are able to purchase health insurance in the individual health insurance market. This legislation is based upon witness testimony from four bipartisan hearings that the Senate Health Committee held last month.”

In addition to Senator Collins, Senators Alexander and Murray’s bill was cosponsored by Republican Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), John McCain (R-Ariz.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), Johnny Isakson (R-Georgia), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), and Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), and Democratic Senators Angus King (I-Maine), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.)

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COCHRAN VOTES FOR FY2018 BUDGET RESOLUTION

Source: Senator Thad Cochran - (R - MS)

Washington, D.C. - October 23, 2017 - (The Ponder News) -- U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) on Thursday night voted with the Senate to approve the FY2018 Budget Resolution, which includes a mechanism for the Congress to consider the first major tax reform in decades.

“The passage of a budget resolution moves the FY2018 budget and appropriations process forward.  I’m pleased this budget blueprint gives Congress an opportunity to pass comprehensive tax reform.  Tax cuts will strengthen our economy by allowing working Americans to keep more of their money, and by easing hardships that the tax code puts on businesses,” Cochran said.

Cochran, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, continued to push for an overall budget agreement between the Trump administration and Congress in order to facilitate the completion of the FY2018 appropriations process.  The Committee has approved all but four of the annual appropriations bills to date.

“To complete this work, a new budget agreement will be necessary so we can responsibly fund our national defense and other priorities.  I will continue to work toward that end with my colleagues and with the administration,” Cochran said.

The FY2018 budget resolution passed on a 51-49 vote.

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Cassidy On Passage of FY2018 Budget

Source: Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA)

Washington, D.C. - October 23, 2017 - (The Ponder News) -- US Senator Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA) released a statement on the Passage of the Fiscal Year 2018 Budget in the Senate.

 

“Pleased the Senate took this key step in moving tax reform forward,” said Dr. Cassidy. “Next step will be working with colleagues on the Finance Committee to produce a bill that gives tax relief to working families and helps accelerate our country's economic growth.”

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BENES Act Introduced in the Senate

Source: Senator Robert P.Casey, Jr. - (D - PA)

Washington, D.C. - October 23, 2017 - (The Ponder News) -- In an effort to simplify the complex enrollment process for the growing number of Americans aging into Medicare, U.S Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Todd Young (R-IN) introduced the bipartisan Beneficiary Enrollment Notification and Eligibility Simplification (BENES) Act. The BENES Act, which is supported by nearly 70 organizations that represent older Americans, people with disabilities, insurers, and health care providers, would simplify and modernize the Medicare enrollment process by making improvements to the notification system and ensuring the elimination of coverage gaps.

“As more and more Americans age into Medicare, we need to do all we can to simplify and improve the enrollment process. This legislation works to inform more Americans of their options and eliminate coverage gaps,” said Senator Casey. “By working in a bipartisan, commonsense fashion, we can ensure that more people are saving money and receiving the coverage they need when they need it.”

“Currently, seniors who miss the sign-up deadline for Medicare Part B face onerous penalties that persist for the rest of their lives,” said Senator Young. “The BENES Act will make the sign-up process more efficient and friendly to our seniors so they have the financial backstop needed to access quality medical care.”

"Far too many people with Medicare are saddled with a lifetime of higher health care costs and go without needed services due to fragmented and archaic Part B enrollment processes," said Joe Baker, president of the Medicare Rights Center. "The BENES Act will prevent the calls that come into our helpline every day from seniors and people with disabilities caught in a complicated web of Medicare enrollment rules."

The BENES Act Would:

Improve the notification process for individuals by creating a framework for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Social Security Administration (SSA), and Internal Revenue Service (IRS), to collaborate to alert individuals approaching eligibility about the Medicare enrollment process and how Medicare works with other insurance.

Eliminate coverage gaps during enrollment periods by guaranteeing that Medicare beneficiaries do not experience a break in coverage. Specifically, the legislation would fix gaps in the fifth, sixth and seventh month of an individual’s Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) and in the General Enrollment Period (GEP). This would modernize the system that has not seen changes since its establishment over fifty years ago.

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Senator Carper Leads Charge to Defeat Amendment Stripping Protections from Endangered Species

Source: Senator Thomas R. Carper  - (D - DE)

Washington, D.C. - October 23, 2017 - (The Ponder News) -- During debate on the Senate Republicans’ budget resolution, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee, led the charge to defeat a dangerous amendment that sought to remove protections for endangered species. Specifically, the amendment, offered by Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) would lay the groundwork to prohibit federal protections under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for species found entirely within the borders of a single state.

As of 2017, roughly 77% of listed species, or over 1,000 species, were intrastate species whose ranges did not cross state borders. Denying these intrastate species protections would strip ESA protections from every listed plant or animal on the island of Hawaii, as well as protections for iconic animals like the polar bear and the Florida panther.

The amendment was defeated by a vote of 51-49, with every Democratic senator and three Republican senators voting against it.

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CAPITO VOTES TO PASS BUDGET RESOLUTION, MOVE TO PRO-GROWTH TAX REFORM

Source: Senator Shelley Moore Capito - (R-WV)

Washington, D.C. - October 23, 2017 - (The Ponder News) -- “Tonight, the Senate passed a reasonable budget resolution, an essential step towards comprehensive tax reform that will grow our nation’s economy, create jobs and put more money in the pockets of middle-class families. Failure to pass this budget resolution would have doomed our efforts to work with President Trump to deliver tax reform for the American people.
 
“A vote against the resolution is a vote to stop pro-growth tax reform in its tracks, and continue the economic stagnation that became the new normal during the Obama administration. I am also glad the Senate voted to adopt my amendment to make sure hard-working middle-class Americans are a top priority as we begin our work on tax reform.
 
“Once the Senate and House budget resolutions are reconciled, we will have an opportunity to deliver responsible tax reform legislation that will lead to more jobs and higher wages in West Virginia and across the country. There is still much work to be done to make tax reform a reality for American families and small businesses, but I am very happy to support this step forward, rather than cut off the path to economic prosperity.”
 
Yesterday, Senator Capito spoke on the Senate floor to encourage her colleagues to pass the budget resolution, paving the way for a tax overhaul and creating a path to greater prosperity. For a video of her full remarks, click here.

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Blumenthal Calls for Transparency, Accountability Regarding US Soldier Deaths in Niger

Source: Senator Richard Blumenthal - (D - CT)

Washington, D.C. - October 20, 2017 - (The Ponder News) -- U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called for a full hearing of the Committee on the deaths of four American soldiers killed in Niger, and swift completion of a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances that led to this tragedy.

“In the days since four Americans were killed in Niger, we have no clear answers about what happened and why their lives were lost. Nearly two weeks of delay and non-disclosure is cause for very grave concern. The Senate Armed Services Committee needs to hear directly from those in charge – including U.S. Africa Command and U.S. Special Operations Command – about what decisions led to this tragic outcome. I fully support all efforts Chairman McCain and Ranking Member Reed will take to ensure that our Committee is fully engaged in its oversight responsibilities including, if necessary, subpoenas. Meanwhile, the Administration must prioritize a comprehensive investigation,” said Blumenthal.

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U.S. SENATOR TAMMY BALDWIN STATEMENT ON SENATE BUDGET RESOLUTION

Source: Senator Tammy Baldwin - (D - WI)

Washington, D.C. - October 20, 2017 - (The Ponder News) -- U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin released the following statement on the Fiscal Year 2018 Budget Resolution voted on in the Senate tonight:

“I believe Wisconsin families need a tax break and that's what I'm working for. But this budget resolution paves the way for a partisan tax proposal that favors big corporations and gives a majority of the tax breaks to the wealthiest 1 percent. I just don’t think it’s right to make Wisconsin’s hardworking middle class families pay for it by blowing a hole in the deficit and cutting Medicare and Medicaid.”

Senator Baldwin offered an amendment to prohibit the Republican tax plan to cut taxes for the top 1% and big corporations from increasing the deficit. She also cosponsored additional amendments to the budget resolution: Senator Heitkamp’s amendment to prohibit taxes from being raised on Americans making less than $250,000 a year, Senator Donnelly’s amendment to prevent companies that have outsourced jobs from benefiting from tax breaks and Senator Nelson’s amendment to reverse the $473 billion in cuts to Medicare in the Republican budget.

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Alexander Votes To Take First Step Toward Tax Reform

Source: Senator Lamar Alexander  - (R - TN)

Washington, D.C. - October 20, 2017 - (The Ponder News) --  U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) tonight voted for the fiscal year 2018 budget resolution, which is the first step toward reforming our nation’s tax laws.

“You don’t need to be an accountant to know that our tax code is too complicated, takes too many dollars away from Tennesseans and makes it harder to create good-paying jobs for Tennessee families. The Senate’s passage of a budget resolution provides the tools necessary for tax reform, and I will continue working with President Trump and my colleagues in Congress to create a simpler system that will keep more money in Tennesseans’ pockets and help create and grow jobs for Tennessee families.”

The Senate version of the fiscal year 2018 budget resolution passed by a vote of 51 to 49.

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Bipartisan Temporary Legislation to Keep Premiums from Rising 20 Percent, Keep Federal Debt from Spiking $194 Billion in 10 Years

Source: Senator Lamar Alexander  - (R - TN)

Washington, D.C. - October 20, 2017 - (The Ponder News) -- Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander spoke on the Senate floor, announcing he and eleven other Republican senators are among 24 senators cosponsoring temporary legislation to keep premiums from rising 20 percent and to keep the federal debt from spiking $194 billion in 10 years.

“Our agreement permanently amends the Affordable Care Act to give new flexibility for states to create insurance policies that have a larger variety and lower costs and it continues the cost-sharing reduction payments during 2018 and 2019,” Alexander said. “Cost-sharing reduction payments are subsidies that pay for copays and deductibles for low income Americans. Every Republican in the House of Representatives who voted to repeal and replace Obamacare this year, voted for a provision that continued the cost-sharing payments for two years.”

Alexander continued: “The president says there should be no bailout of insurance companies. I agree 100 percent. So does Senator Murray. We have a page and a half to make it clear that insurance companies cannot ‘double dip,’ so the benefits go to consumers not insurance companies.

“Some conservatives object to the idea of paying them at all, but I would ask what's conservative about unaffordable premiums? What's conservative about $194 billion of new federal debt? What's conservative about creating chaos so millions can't buy insurance? What's conservative about a four-lane highway that would be the chaos that leads to a single-payer solution for insurance in this country?”

“The people still objecting are listening to the groups around Washington, D.C. I would suggest they listen to some other people. Listen to the waitress, listen to the songwriter, listen to the brick layer, listen to the small businesswoman. The people of America, there are 350,000 in Tennessee, who may be terrified by the prospect of increasing premiums or even the prospect of not being able to buy insurance at all.”

“We haven't moved an inch toward our objectives in the last seven years of giving states more flexibility in creating insurance policies in the individual market. This agreement does.”

“We have a solution here. Senator Murray and I – a total of 24 United States Senators – are offering it today.”

Alexander and Murray released the names of 22 additional cosponsors -- Republican Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), John McCain (R-Ariz.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), Johnny Isakson (R-Georgia), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), and Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), and Democratic Senators Angus King (I-Maine), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.).

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