U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, criticized Democrats for voting against a Republican health care proposal. According to Cassidy, the legislation would have lowered insurance premiums by 11 percent and reduced out-of-pocket costs for Americans. The bill was introduced with Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo as an alternative to what Republicans describe as Democrats’ temporary COVID bonuses.
Cassidy said the Republican plan would give families up to $5,000 directly to help pay for their health care needs. He contrasted this approach with Democratic policies that he says provide large sums to insurance companies without reducing premiums for consumers.
“Democrats want to force families to pay $6,000 out-of-pocket before their insurance kicks in. Republicans want to make health care affordable and put thousands in patients’ pockets to help pay for their out-of-pocket expenses,” said Dr. Cassidy. “Democrats need to stop playing politics with people’s health care and come to the table to find real solutions.”
Before the vote took place, Cassidy spoke on the Senate floor in support of the Republican proposal. He has repeatedly called on Congress to work together on efforts aimed at lowering health insurance costs and has raised concerns about rising expenses in recent hearings of both the Senate Finance Committee and HELP Committee.
