House Majority Leader Steve Scalise announced Friday that House Republicans will soon introduce a series of healthcare bills aimed at bringing down costs that have soared under Obamacare. Speaking on the Ruthless podcast, Scalise said the effort involves multiple committees and may take the form of several targeted bills rather than a single comprehensive package.
“We’re bringing a number of bills to the floor in the next few weeks,” Scalise said. He emphasized input from key House committees — Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Education and Workforce — and coordination with the GOP Doctors Caucus. One major goal is to promote association health plans (AHPs), which would allow Americans to purchase health insurance through organizations like Sam’s Club, Costco, or Amazon.
The push for AHPs received a boost this week from Senator Rand Paul, who urged President Donald Trump to support the reform. Paul said AHPs “hold the promise of lowering insurance premiums,” but Democrats have blocked progress in court. Trump echoed Paul’s message and blasted the current system as funneling billions to “money sucking Insurance Companies” instead of empowering individuals.
“I am recommending to Senate Republicans that the Hundreds of Billions of Dollars currently being sent to money sucking Insurance Companies… BE SENT DIRECTLY TO THE PEOPLE,” Trump wrote. He added that Americans could then purchase their own better healthcare with money left over.
A 2018 study by Avalere Health projected that premiums under AHPs could be $2,900 lower per year than small-group market plans, and nearly $9,700 lower than individual market plans under Obamacare. The savings come from streamlined offerings and healthier insurance pools. Up to 3.2 million Americans could shift from Obamacare plans to AHPs.
Scalise also noted that lowering prescription drug costs is a key priority. “We’re going to be bringing bills to the floor in the next few weeks to do exactly that,” he said.
