AARP urges Congress to stabilize Affordable Care Act marketplace
The American Association of Retired Persons submitted written testimonyTuesday to the U.S. Senate Committees on Finance and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions urging Congress to focus in what it called "commonsense" solutions to stabilize the Affordable Care Act's marketplace, increase enrollment and competition, and lower costs for consumers.

The American Association of Retired Persons submitted written testimony Tuesday to the U.S. Senate Committees on Finance and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions urging Congress to focus in what it called "commonsense" solutions to stabilize the Affordable Care Act's marketplace, increase enrollment and competition, and lower costs for consumers.

AARP has long been a supporter of accessible and affordable healthcare for older Americans, and in its letter expressed support for strengthening Medicaid, protecting coverage for those with preexisting conditions and bolstering Medicare.

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The group said Congress can help fortify the ACA markets and reduce premiums by making a commitment to pay for cost-sharing reductions, which provide financial assistance for people with modest incomes. Another way to help stabilize the individual insurance market, said AARP, is through reinsurance programs for states to help cover high-cost patients.

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For Medicaid, the group suggested states to more easily use Medicaid dollars for home and community-based services for seniors who wish to avoid nursing home care, which it said would save states money. On the prescription drug prices front, AARP supports allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices, allowing safe importation of lower-priced drugs, reducing the amount of market exclusivity for biologic drugs, prohibiting pay-for-delay deals between brand and generic drug manufacturers, and demanding greater transparency in prescription drug pricing.

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In its testimony, AARP urged Congress to return to the 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income threshold for the medical expense deduction to help seniors and others with long-term care costs.

Twitter: @JELagasse

Email the writer: jeff.lagasse@himssmedia.com