Issue Position: Health Care

Issue Position

What Ben will do: Ben wants to work with both parties to fix the Affordable Care Act, rather than just scrapping it.

Ben supports allowing parents to keep their kids on their policies until they are 26. He will oppose allowing insurance companies to kick people off for pre-existing conditions or charge women higher premiums. Ben will work to ensure people aren't punished for working harder and getting a raise, throwing them off their health care coverage.

He will also work to lower out-of-pocket expenses and keep premiums down. Ben supports efforts to ensure Medicare can negotiate with the drug companies. This would lower prescription prices for seniors and costs to taxpayers. Ben plans to work with both parties to eliminate the Cadillac tax for working families.

What Ben has done: All Utah families deserve access to quality, affordable health care.

Ben supported the Healthy Utah plan, which would have responsibly expanded Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act to thousands of Utahns without health insurance. After efforts stalled, Ben worked across the aisle to pass a permanent extension of Medicaid to include single adults who are homeless or in the criminal justice system and low-income families with children.

Since its implementation in December 2017, hundreds of individuals who struggle with opioid addiction have been enrolled in drug addiction treatment. This treatment will help them regain stable, productive lives. In addition, the Medicaid extension added hundreds of new treatment beds to Utah's nonprofit facilities. The treatment beds helped free up jail space for serious offenders while providing a more cost-effective, positive alternative to jail for nonviolent drug offenders.

Ben called on Congress to restore funding to the Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, after its funding lapsed in September 2017. This proven, bipartisan program, championed by Utah Senator Orrin Hatch, provides health insurance to the children of working parents. The program covers visits to the doctor, health screenings, vaccinations and vision and dental care. More than 19,000 Utah kids faced health care uncertainty until Congress finally acted to fund CHIP in January.

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