Title: A 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.
Policy area: Health

Summary:
This resolution expresses support for access to health insurance coverage that protects individuals with preexisting conditions, reduces the cost of prescription drugs and monthly premiums, protects individuals from surprise medical bills, and deters medical practices intended to reduce the risk of malpractice claims.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 777 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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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;
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
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that all people of the 
United States should have access to health care coverage with--
            (1) protections if they have pre-existing medical 
        conditions, including--
                    (A) guarantees that no citizen of the United States 
                can be denied health insurance coverage as a result of 
                a previous illness or health status;
                    (B) guarantees that no citizen of the United States 
                can be charged a higher premium or cost sharing as a 
                result of a previous illness or health status; and
                    (C) access to health care to ensure that the people 
                of the United States with pre-existing medical 
                conditions can afford to receive their care;
            (2) lower costs of prescription drugs and devices, which 
        can be accomplished by--
                    (A) cutting red tape in the regulatory process to 
                bring new drugs and devices to market more rapidly;
                    (B) lowering prices through enhanced competition by 
                reforming outdated and archaic patent and trademark 
                laws;
                    (C) ensuring transparency in the drug supply chain;
                    (D) incentivizing domestic manufacturing and ending 
                drug shortages; and
                    (E) promoting policies that ensure the people of 
                the United States are not solely responsible for 
                financing the biopharmaceutical innovation that the 
                world depends on;
            (3) lower insurance premiums through increased choice and 
        competition, including through--
                    (A) the availability of transparent information 
                related to the price of health insurance premiums and 
                health care procedures so patients can make informed 
                decisions about their care;
                    (B) access to association health plans, which have 
                led to average premium decreases of up to 29 percent 
                for small business owners;
                    (C) State flexibility to do what is best for 
                communities in that State, which in some cases has 
                lowered health insurance premiums up to 43 percent;
                    (D) the establishment of tax-free personal health 
                management accounts to empower patients to afford and 
                personalize their own health care arrangements; and
                    (E) expanded access to more doctors and specialists 
                for veterans, those struggling with mental illness, and 
                those who live in rural areas;
            (4) protections from surprise medical bills, including 
        holding a patient harmless from surprise medical bills and 
        making sure patients receive bills in a timely way; and
            (5) safeguards from costly defensive medicine in the health 
        care system, that reflect medical malpractice reform that 
        addresses the additional costs in the medical system that do 
        not improve quality of care.
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