Bicameral Health Leaders Applaud Biden Administration’s Proposed ACA Marketplace Rule for 2023

Chairs Urge Administration to Finalize the Proposed Changes to Make Health Care More Affordable and Accessible for Millions of Americans

Washington, D.C. – Bicameral Democratic Health Committee Chairs wrote to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure today to express their strong support for the Biden Administration’s policies included in the proposed Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2023 (Proposed NBPP), which will build on the Affordable Care Act (ACA), lower health care costs for consumers, and make coverage options more equitable.

The letter was signed by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-MA), House Education and Labor Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA), Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-WA), and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR).

“We applaud the Proposed NBPP and the Biden Administration’s commitment to ensuring Americans have access to affordable, comprehensive coverage,” the Committee Chairs wrote. “The Proposed NBPP builds on the ACA’s historic coverage gains, includes critical policies to address inequities in health care, and expands access for our underserved and vulnerable communities. We urge the Administration to finalize the policies as outlined in the Proposed NBPP, and we applaud the agency’s work in enhancing the health and well-being of families.”

The Committee Chairs wrote that the Proposed NBPP will help build upon the success of the ACA, including the Administration’s actions over the last year.

“We commend the Biden Administration for its work to expand access to quality, affordable health coverage and advance health equity efforts that have resulted in 4.6 million individuals gaining health care coverage in the last year and more than 14 million people choosing a Marketplace plan for 2022” the five Committee Chairs wrote.”

In their letter, the Committee Chairs highlighted a number of important policies included in the Proposed NBPP that will lower costs and expand access to care, including:

A requirement that issuers using the federal platform offer standardized plan options, which will make it easier for consumers to navigate their options and choose the plan that is best for them;
A proposal to make it easier for consumers to sign up for health coverage during Special Enrollment Periods;
A strengthening of the Essential Community Providers threshold, which will improve access to health care for low-income and medically underserved communities;
A reestablishment of federal network adequacy reviews and adoption of quantitative time, distance, and appointment wait-time standards, which will ensure consumers have access to necessary care and to the right type of providers in accessible locations;
A prohibition on Marketplaces, issuers, agents, and brokers from discriminating against individuals based on sexual orientation and gender identity, which will build on Democrats’ efforts to ensure that LGBTQI+ individuals are protected from discrimination; and,
A clarification of calculation requirements for the ACA’s Medical Loss Ratio, which will ensure that plans provide value to consumers.

Read the full letter here.

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