III 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 777 

Expressing the sense of the Senate on the need for common sense solutions 

to improve health care delivery and affordability for all people of the 

United States. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 18, 2020 

Mr. PERDUE (for himself and Mrs. LOEFFLER) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, 

Labor, and Pensions 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate on the need for common 

sense solutions to improve health care delivery and affordability for all people of the United States. 

Whereas the public health emergency that the United States 

is currently facing has highlighted the need for common 

sense solutions to improve health care delivery and affordability; 

Whereas Congress has acted quickly to protect health care 

for the people of the United States in the wake of the 

COVID–19 pandemic, including expanding access to telehealth, providing coverage for COVID–19 tests and vaccines, and supporting health care providers; 


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•SRES 777 IS 

Whereas health insurance premiums increased by nearly 105 

percent between 2013 and 2017, thereby making health 

care coverage both unaffordable and inaccessible for 

many people of the United States; and 

Whereas nearly 134 rural hospitals have closed their doors 

since 2010 and the public health emergency has exacerbated the rural health crisis: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that all 

2 people of the United States should have access to health 

3 care coverage with— 

4 (1) protections if they have pre-existing medical 

5 conditions, including— 

6 (A) guarantees that no citizen of the 

7 United States can be denied health insurance 

8 coverage as a result of a previous illness or 

9 health status; 

10 (B) guarantees that no citizen of the 

11 United States can be charged a higher premium 

12 or cost sharing as a result of a previous illness 

13 or health status; and 

14 (C) access to health care to ensure that the 

15 people of the United States with pre-existing 

16 medical conditions can afford to receive their 

17 care; 

18 (2) lower costs of prescription drugs and de19 vices, which can be accomplished by— 


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•SRES 777 IS 

1 (A) cutting red tape in the regulatory proc2 ess to bring new drugs and devices to market 

3 more rapidly; 

4 (B) lowering prices through enhanced com5 petition by reforming outdated and archaic pat6 ent and trademark laws; 

7 (C) ensuring transparency in the drug sup8 ply chain; 

9 (D) incentivizing domestic manufacturing 

10 and ending drug shortages; and 

11 (E) promoting policies that ensure the peo12 ple of the United States are not solely respon13 sible for financing the biopharmaceutical inno14 vation that the world depends on; 

15 (3) lower insurance premiums through in16 creased choice and competition, including through— 

17 (A) the availability of transparent informa18 tion related to the price of health insurance pre19 miums and health care procedures so patients 

20 can make informed decisions about their care; 

21 (B) access to association health plans, 

22 which have led to average premium decreases of 

23 up to 29 percent for small business owners; 

24 (C) State flexibility to do what is best for 

25 communities in that State, which in some cases 


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•SRES 777 IS 

1 has lowered health insurance premiums up to 

2 43 percent; 

3 (D) the establishment of tax-free personal 

4 health management accounts to empower pa5 tients to afford and personalize their own 

6 health care arrangements; and 

7 (E) expanded access to more doctors and 

8 specialists for veterans, those struggling with 

9 mental illness, and those who live in rural 

10 areas; 

11 (4) protections from surprise medical bills, in12 cluding holding a patient harmless from surprise 

13 medical bills and making sure patients receive bills 

14 in a timely way; and 

15 (5) safeguards from costly defensive medicine in 

16 the health care system, that reflect medical mal17 practice reform that addresses the additional costs 

18 in the medical system that do not improve quality of 

19 care. 

Æ 


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