U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and Tim Kaine announced Wednesday they are reintroducing the Medicare-X Choice Act.
Bennet, D-Colo., introduced the act in the Senate in 2017 and again in 2019. Kaine, D-Va., was a co-sponsor both times.
The Medicare-X Choice Act would establish and fund the Medicare Exchange plan, which would offer affordable health insurance to families, individuals and small businesses in every county in the U.S. It would expand Medicare’s network of doctors and providers, guarantee essential health benefits that were established in the Affordable Care Act and ensure access to affordable prescription drugs.
“Medicare-X is the best way to cover everyone, reduce health costs and improve the quality of health insurance for all Americans, including those who’ve historically suffered the most from poor access to quality coverage and care,” Bennet said in a news release.
This new version of the Medicare-X bill would provide a larger tax premium subsidy for Americans living below 400% of the federal poverty level and more generous tax credits than previous versions. It would also allow for payment adjustments of up to 150%, compared with 125% in previous versions of the bill.
One of the biggest changes from previous versions of the bill is the additional reimbursement rate meant to help people in rural areas. If passed, the public health care option would initially be available on the individual exchange in areas where health care costs are higher because of less competition, particularly rural communities, including those in Colorado.
“I can’t speak for anybody else, but I think that people are really ready to answer this question of gaps in our coverage and improving health care for the American people,” Bennet said.
During the news conference, Kaine and Bennet stressed adding more affordable and accessible health care to the market in rural areas, where residents often have fewer options and recently hospitals have closed.
In 2017 and in 2019, the bill went nowhere beyond being introduced. The senators are more hopeful about the bill’s chances this session because of increased concern about health care during the COVID-19 pandemic and under President Joe Biden, whose health care plan from his presidential campaign aligns closely with the Medicare-X Choice Act.
Bennet said it is an “incredible delight” to have an administration that is committed to public health insurance, rather than one interested in blocking it.
While the senators are interested in getting the act passed as soon as possible, they acknowledged that hearings on legislation will not be happening in the next few weeks while the Senate is consumed with hearings and votes on Biden’s Cabinet nominees.
“We’ll do everything we can to push it across the finish line in the coming months,” Bennet said.
Bennet said he thinks the entirety of the bill will be able to make it through the House and Senate and get passed into law. He said because people in the “reddest states” are “desperate for a choice,” he thinks the bill will be hard to vote against on the Senate floor.
“I think Republicans should want to work with us on getting this across the finish line,” Bennet said.
Grace George is an intern for The Durango Herald and The Journal in Cortez and a student at American University in Washington, D.C.