President Biden plans to unveil the $1.8 trillion American Families Plan (attached)—which includes significant expansions to child care, paid family and medical leave, tuition-free community college, among other “human infrastructure” proposals—before his first address to a joint session of Congress tonight.
The American Families Plan invests $200 billion to make permanent the American Rescue Plan’s enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium subsidies. Congress recently made major improvements by enhancing ACA marketplace premium subsidies for currently eligible individuals and families at all income levels and offering subsidies to those with incomes greater than 400% of the Federal Poverty Level. The enhanced premium subsidies are only in effect during calendar years 2021 and 2022.
The outline also reiterates the President’s commitment to further build on the ACA, allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices, reduce health insurance premiums and deductibles, lower the Medicare enrollment age to 60, create a public option, and close the Medicaid gap—although those policies are not specifically proposed in the American Families Plan.
GNYHA sent its infrastructure priorities paper to Capitol Hill and the Biden Administration. We will continue to advocate for the inclusion of health care provider investments in infrastructure legislation and encourage you to contact your elected representatives and committees of jurisdiction.