Torres Small Votes to Strengthen Affordable Care Act
Press Release
Today, Congresswoman Xochitl Torres Small (NM-02) voted in favor of the bipartisan Patient Protection & Affordable Care Enhancement Act, which builds on the Affordable Care Act to lower health care prices and prescription drug costs for families nationwide.
Among many updates to the Affordable Care Act, the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Enhancement Act would expand eligibility for the ACA's insurance premium subsidies, gives the power to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices, and cracks down on junk insurance plans that fail to provide the coverage families often need.
"Now more than ever, New Mexicans need health care they can afford, close to home. This bipartisan bill decreases the cost of prescription drugs, makes insurance more affordable for those most in need, and pays primary care providers caring for Medicaid patients. There is still work to be done, though. We must continue to find ways to strengthen care in our rural communities while decreasing the cost of care, and I remain committed to working with anyone to address those challenges," said Torres Small.
The bill increases the ACA's affordability subsidies to cover more middle-class families. For the first time, no person will have to pay more than 8.5 percent of their income for a benchmark silver plan in the ACA marketplaces, and many Americans will see their premiums cut in half or more:
A family of four earning $40,000 would save nearly $1,600 in premiums each year.
A 64-year-old earning $57,420 would save more than $8,700 in premiums each year.
A single adult with income of $31,900 would see premiums cut in half.
An adult earning $19,140 would see premiums cut to zero, saving $800 dollars a year.
Additionally, the bill would permanently authorize the Children's Health Insurance Program, on which thousands of New Mexican children rely upon, and fund a program to increase the pay of primary care doctors serving large populations of Medicaid patients, such as New Mexico's rural areas.
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