The undersigned organizations, representing millions of American patients, issued the following statement following a series of hearings this week in the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee:

We applaud the Senate HELP Committee, Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), and ranking member Patty Murray (D-Wash.) for convening a bipartisan discussion on how to stabilize and strengthen individual insurance markets.

As the committee develops legislation, we urge them to consider the following ideas to help strengthen insurance markets and keep premiums affordable for patients. These ideas were endorsed by many of the insurance commissioners who testified yesterday: 

• Risk reinsurance programs
• Support and funds for insurance marketplace outreach and enrollment
• Continued, long-term funding for cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments

This is an important opportunity to retain critical patient protections in current health care law -- including the current 1332 waiver guardrails and essential health benefit protections -- while also ensuring that all Americans have access to adequate, affordable health care coverage. We strongly oppose any effort to use this legislation as a vehicle to weaken the protections in current law that provide access to care for our patients.

Patient Groups

American Diabetes Association  
American Heart Association
American Lung Association
Arthritis Foundation
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Family Voices
March of Dimes
Muscular Dystrophy Association
National Health Council
National Multiple Sclerosis Society