Cramer Sponsors Legislation to Close Obamacare Loophole Preventing Charities and Churches From Paying for People's Health Care Costs

Press Release

Congressman Kevin Cramer today announced he introduced HR 3742, the Access to Marketplace Insurance Act. The bi-partisan bill specifically allows non-profits, civic groups, and churches to help pay health insurance premiums for individuals and families. Under Obamacare, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) released an interim final rule which gave authority to insurers offering plans on the Exchanges to deny non-profit charities from providing premium assistance. The Affordable Care Act provides federal subsidies to purchase health care policies, but the CMS rule prevents other groups from doing the same for individuals and families in need. Because many patients with rare diseases and catastrophic illnesses use this program to pay for their health insurance premiums, the rule puts in jeopardy the policies they purchased. The legislation is co-sponsored by Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Congressman Alan Grayson (D-FL), Congressman Gerald Connolly (D-VA), Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA), Congressman Steve Stivers (R-OH), Congressman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), and Congressman Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ). View the bill here.

"Obamacare uses tax dollars to provide subsides to low-income citizens to purchase health care insurance but it allows states to ban non-profits, civic groups and churches from doing the same. That is wrong, and this bill removes the handcuffs from private charities, allowing them to assist insured patients who need help paying their premiums without fear of breaking the law," said Cramer. "The law already compels insurance companies to accept premium assistance from the Affordable Care Act, Indian Tribes, and State or federal programs. Individual Americans should also have the right to organize and do the same through their charity of choice. We need to allow charities to be charitable."

Earlier this week, the American Kidney Fund and Patient Services Inc. expressed their support for Cramer's legislation. View a copy of their press release here.

Since the release of the interim final rule, plans in 37 states have announced a prohibition against allowing non-profits, civic groups and churches to help pay for health insurance premiums for individuals and families.

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