WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) cosponsored new legislation to overturn the Trump administration’s final “junk insurance” plan rule. The resolution of disapproval, introduced by U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), is cosponsored by 30 Senators and would rescind the Trump administration’s rule expanding “junk insurance” plans that don’t have to provide health care coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. 

“This measure will overturn the Trump Administration’s misguided rule to expand the sale of short-term, ‘junk’ insurance plans that would endanger countless Americans and put our health care system at risk,” said Murphy and Blumenthal. “These junk plans may not cover basic benefits like maternity care, mental health care, or prescription drugs—putting consumers, especially those with pre-existing conditions, at risk and in the dark. These plans are expensive, ineffective, and will wreak havoc on the health insurance marketplace. We call on our colleagues to act now to end this sabotage of the Affordable Care Act and prevent these predatory plans from proliferating our health care system.”

According to an analysis by the LA Times, “more than 98% — or 335 of 340 — of the healthcare groups that commented on the proposal to loosen restrictions on short-term health plans criticized it, in many cases warning that the rule could gravely hurt sick patients.” This included patient and consumer advocates, physician groups, nursing associations, hospital groups, medical providers, insurance companies and more.

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACSCAN) said it “poses a serious threat to cancer patients’ ability to access quality, affordable health coverage.” ACSCAN also said the Trump administration’s rule “will likely leave older and sicker Americans in the individual insurance marketplace with few, if any, affordable health coverage choices” and that “patients living with serious conditions will be left paying more for the coverage they need if they can afford coverage at all.”

Now that the resolution has been introduced with 30 cosponsors, Blumenthal, Murphy, Baldwin, and colleagues have the support needed to file a discharge petition to force a vote under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) on the resolution to overturn the Trump Administration’s expansion of junk insurance plans. Congressional Review Act disapproval resolutions that obtain the support of 30 Senators on a discharge petition, and 218 members in the House, allow Congress to overturn regulatory actions taken by federal agencies with a simple majority vote in both chambers.

Baldwin, Blumenthal, and Murphy are joined by U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Tom Carper (D-DE), Bob Casey (D-PA), Christopher Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Kamala D. Harris (D-CA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Doug Jones (D-AL), Angus King (I-ME), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Patty Murray (D-WA), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Jon Tester (D-MT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

Text of the resolution is available here.

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