Rounds Pushes Senate to Include Health Care Market Stabilization Legislation in Omnibus
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today spoke on the Senate floor to urge his colleagues to support an amendment to the pending omnibus bill that would stabilize the health insurance market and lower premiums for South Dakota families. The amendment, which is being offered by Sen. Susan Collins and cosponsored by Rounds, was filed earlier today. If enacted, it will decrease premiums for those enrolled in Obamacare’s individual market by 20-40 percent. Additionally, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates it will lead to an additional 3.2 million Americans obtaining health insurance.
“The American people did not ask for Obamacare, but they're the ones that are suffering because of the premium increases caused by this law in the first place,” said Rounds on the Senate floor. “What we're trying to do and what is hopefully an acceptable fashion, is find colleagues on the other side of the aisle who will once again join us in [supporting] this legislation, which they had previously supported, to find a way to step forward and to actually help fix a problem for real Americans.”
The amendment includes the provisions of Alexander/Murray, which Rounds previously cosponsored, and a reinsurance program authored by Sens. Susan Collins and Bill Nelson. It has the support of President Trump, House Republicans and Senate Republicans, but Democrats in Congress have been opposed to because it includes protections under the Hyde Amendment. The Hyde Amendment is language that has been included in every appropriations bill since 1976 that prevents taxpayer dollars from funding abortions. From 1976 to today, including in the current omnibus bill, the Hyde Amendment has applied to Medicaid, Medicare, Children’s Health Insurance Program, TRICARE, Indian Health Service, Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and Veterans Affairs.
“I'm a pro-life Republican, and by allowing the Hyde Amendment to prevail in this particular case, like it does with all of the other funding that we send back to the states, it cannot be used to fund abortions,” Rounds continued in his speech. “Then it allows us to still continue on to provide with a clear conscience the dollars necessary to provide health care for individuals that otherwise may not get it. What this particular proposal allows is for states to once again take charge of part of the health care that we want to see delivered at the local level.”
