HARTFORD – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committee, released the following statement in response to news from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that hospitals will save $5.7 billion this year in uncompensated care costs because of the Affordable Care Act, and that there will be a net 25 percent increase in the number of issuers offering Health Insurance Marketplace coverage in 2015, as well as an increase in issuers offering coverage through Access Health CT.

According to HHS, for over a decade prior to the Affordable Care Act, the percentage of the American population that was uninsured had been growing steadily.  But with the significant expansion of coverage under the health care law through the Health Insurance Marketplaces and Medicaid, the ranks of the uninsured is at a historic low.  As a result, the volume of uncompensated care provided in hospitals and emergency departments has fallen substantially in the last year, particularly in Medicaid expansion states.

Today's good news signals what we've known all along: the Affordable Care Act is working. The savings we’re seeing today are a direct result of the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion. Now when people they get sick, they have the peace of mind that they're covered. This means huge savings for hospitals and consumers.

 

I’m also thrilled to see the data confirming that insurers aren’t in fact turning their backs on the exchanges, as predicted by naysayers of the Affordable Care Act. This new HHS report shows the exact opposite is happening. We'll have more insurers participating through Access Health CT next year, and there will be 77 new issuers offering plans nationwide. That translates into more choice and competition for consumers across the country as they pick a plan that works for them.

 

It’s time to drop the crusade against the Affordable Care Act, which is having such a clear, positive impact on people in Connecticut and throughout the country. This data is welcome news and shows that the Affordable Care Act is putting this country’s health care system back on track.

 

To read more about today’s news on uncompensated care costs, click here.

To read more about the increase of issuers in the Federal Marketplace and state exchanges, click here.