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U.S. Representative Angie Craig introduced the Medicare-X Choice Act to offer more affordable health insurance options and lower healthcare costs for Minnesotans. The act is designed to extend the ACA enhanced premium tax credits, provide funding for a national reinsurance program, and fix the “family glitch.” Craig has previously worked towards lowering healthcare costs and making quality care accessible, including successfully having a provision signed into law that capped insulin copays at $35 per month for Medicare recipients and closing the “family glitch,” thereby reducing healthcare costs for an estimated 62,000 Minnesotans.
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Rep. Angie Craig Proposes Legislation for Public Health Care Option and Lower Costs
U.S. Representative Angie Craig has put forth a bill aimed at establishing a public option for health care and reducing the expenses for Minnesotans facing steep insurance premiums.
Proposal for Medicare-X Choice Act
The proposed Medicare-X Choice Act is designed to expand upon the existing Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Medicare mechanisms. The outcome would be a Medicare Exchange plan that provides budget-friendly health insurance choices for small businesses, families, and individuals, while also stimulating competition within the health insurance market. The legislation proposes the extension of the ACA-enhanced premium tax credits that were allowed to expire by congressional Republicans at the end of 2025. Additionally, it aims to solidify the resolution for the “family glitch” and allocate funds for a nationwide reinsurance program – all of which are measures that Rep. Craig has fervently supported.
The Impact of High Insurance Premiums
Since the expiration of the ACA tax credits and the execution of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act – a policy implemented by President Trump and Republicans which deducted nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid last year – Americans have been grappling with inflated insurance premiums. Consequently, 17,000 Minnesotans have renounced their MNSure coverage, a health insurance plan acquired through the state’s ACA marketplace, in this year alone.
Rep. Craig expressed, “Even before Republicans made historic cuts to Medicaid and stripped the American people of the ACA tax credits they relied on to afford health coverage, it was too expensive to be sick in this country.” She further elaborated that despite many Minnesotans losing MNSure coverage and others paying exorbitant fees to access essential health care, an alternative exists. She believes a public option could offer citizens lower premiums for quality care, hence her commitment to introducing this pragmatic legislation aimed at reducing health care costs and encouraging competition in the marketplace.
Previous Efforts to Lower Health Care Costs
Since joining Congress in 2019, Rep. Craig has been an active advocate for lowering health care costs and ensuring every Minnesotan has access to quality care. In April, she introduced the Patient Refunds for Bad Denials Act to hold health insurance companies accountable for high denial rates and reimburse patients for medical bills that should have been covered by insurance. Earlier this year in February, she introduced the Patient Debt Relief Act to mitigate the burden of medical debt on Minnesotans by protecting individuals from predatory debt collection practices and requiring hospitals to offer more manageable repayment options.
Earlier Legislative Successes
In 2022, a provision of Rep. Craig’s bill that set a limit on insulin copays at $35/month for Medicare recipients became law as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. That same year, she successfully advocated for the closure of the “family glitch” by the Biden Administration, resulting in lower health care costs for an estimated 62,000 Minnesotans.
First Health Care Bill and Support
In 2019, she introduced her first health care bill, the State Health Care Premium Reduction Act, which aimed to fund state reinsurance programs to directly decrease premiums, deductibles, and out-of-pocket costs, as well as make the ACA tax credits permanent. Senators Michael Bennett (D-CO) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) have put forward companion legislation in the Senate, while Reps. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Mike Quigley (D-IL-05) are original co-sponsors in the House. The bill is also backed by Minnesota Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith.
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