Senate HELP Committee Sets Panels for ACA Hearings to be Held After August Recess

Congress will return from its August recess on September 5, and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee has already set hearings for the next day and the day after to explore ways to stabilize the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA’s) individual health insurance marketplaces. The first hearing will feature state insurance commissioners. The following day the Committee will hear from governors. Prior to breaking for the August recess, HELP Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and ranking member Patty Murray (D-WA) announced they would seek bipartisan measures to strengthen and stabilize individual marketplaces. Alexander has also been a leading voice in the Senate on the need to carefully think through any significant changes to the ACA, including by not repealing the law without a viable replacement. He has also said that he would like to include a one-year continuation of federal payments made to insurers to allow them to reduce premium costs for low-income consumers.  

 

Both hearings will be available for livestreaming. The panels scheduled are below:

 

September 6: