Rep. Juan Ciscomani breaks down bipartisan health care plan in face of possible ACA increase

PHOENIX — Arizona U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani along with 35 house members, both Republicans and Democrats, have come together to create a bipartisan health care plan.

“The deadline is closer for people to see their premiums go up because of the subsidies going away,” Ciscomani told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Thursday. “So we know that we have to come up with something and there is no perfect solution that we’re going to be able to find in the time frame we have. Something needs to be done though, doing nothing is not an option.”

Ciscomani explained that the bipartisan group has been discussing a solution for weeks that will address the extension of the subsidies and provide people with the assurance that their health care insurance will go up in a way that they can afford.

The Republican emphasized the importance of the plan being bipartisan due to it needing 60 votes in the Senate.

Details on Rep. Juan Ciscomani’s bipartisan health care plan

Ciscomani said it is known the cost of health care is going up and the Affordable Care Act is getting more and more expensive, which is why subsidies have been used to make it more affordable. He added that where he and his democratic counterparts might defer is on how to handle the issue in the long run.

For now, the health care plan includes an an extension of the enhanced premium tax credits (EPTCs), which are set to expire at the end of the year if congressional action is not taken.

“This is so we can help people in my district (6), about 30,000, that will be impacted with a possible increase of $1,500 a month on their premium. We can’t have that, obviously that’s unaffordable,” Ciscomani said.

The plan also includes targeted anti-fraud guardrails that would require providing eligibility checks and income verification.

“Right now, income over the federal poverty level is too high on that,” Ciscomani said. “So, we are going to need to help people weed off it on the higher end of the income spectrum there without pulling the rug from under them, so we need an exit ramp on it. That’s part of the targeted reforms also to lessen the cost on families.”

The congressman noted that the bipartisan plan is not just about extending the subsidies, but also adding immediate reforms to begin the process of getting the program to where it needs to be.

According to Ciscomani, another large part of the conversations between legislators are about health insurance companies and how much they’ve been profiting from the current model.

“It’s an unbalanced formula that exists right now,” Ciscomani said. “And some of that is dealt with on this framework, but the big chunk of it will come on the second part of the discussion.”

The congressman emphasized that the bipartisan health care plan is about finding a solution within the time legislators have left this year, noting that they can discuss the long-term solution in January.

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