Engagement

This month, Lobbyit met with Senate HELP majority staff member Romney Gripado, the Health Policy Adviser under Sen. Bill Cassidy. Romney noted that the committee has had limited discussion on short-term limited duration insurance (STLDI), and it wasn’t high on the legislative agenda list given recent regulatory action taking the lead. She mentioned that she did not expect STLDI legislation to be included in summer markups, as the committee is focused on more bipartisan bills and Chairman Cassidy’s end-of-tenure priorities. While the proposal is not considered impossible, movement is unlikely before the fall. Romney noted that the issue has not been identified as a high priority by Sen. Cruz’s office, and a renewed legislative effort would require technical assistance from the relevant agencies as well as a Congressional Budget Office score. However, Romney pointed to several pieces of legislation that were slated for markup in the coming months that may interest the NEA. One bill of interest is the Patients Deserve Price Tags Act, which would codify health coverage transparency requirements, build on existing transparency initiatives, and give employers greater access to individual plan data to help design more comprehensive coverage options.

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Engagement

This month, Lobbyit on behalf of NEA met with Caroline Williams, a legislative assistant in the office of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) to discuss the COMPETE Act and legislative momentum for STLDI reform. We discussed alternate approaches in the House, including Rep. Grothman’s COMPETE Act companion, and committees of jurisdiction that would shepherd the bills through. Caroline appreciated NEA’s support of the bill and added that they were looking to get Democrats on board as cosponsors to help move the bill through committee. She noted that, while Sen. Cruz didn’t sit on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, they had been speaking with committee staff and leadership utilizing his position on Senate Commerce to “grease the wheels.” In particular, she was eager to hear about our past engagement with CMS, adding that they hadn’t spoken directly with them but weren’t surprised that the regulatory folks were holding off until they saw legislative intent. She encouraged us to continue following up with our House and Senate contacts and to maintain the relationship with their office, while committing to flagging any relevant legislation that she saw in the future. In short, it was a very productive meeting.

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Engagement

This month, Lobbyit on behalf of NEA met with Andrew Bambrick, a legislative assistant in the office of Rep. Glenn Grothman to discuss their team’s priorities, including the recently introduced COMPETE Act. We spoke about recent attempts to codify stronger language in STLDI policy and the affordable flexibility that it offers to small businesses as well as their employees. The office indicated strong receptiveness to support and NEA agreed to be formally listed on their one pager as a supporter of the bill. They also advised engaging with Energy & Commerce Committee staff and continuing outreach to help advance the legislation through markup, including building additional cosponsorship among members. The conversation also touched on the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), specifically Section 14(c) and its connection to disability and employment policy. As chair of the Congressional Disability and Employment Choice Caucus, Rep. Grothman’s office expressed interest in receiving further industry perspectives on this issue. Andrew encouraged us to follow up and the Lobbyit team reached out shortly after the meeting to confirm our support for the COMPETE Act and discuss next steps.

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Advocacy and Engagement

On March 10th, Lobbyit met with Keilah Ilinykh, Legislative Assistant in the office of Cliff Bentz, to discuss Rep. Max Miller’s ACCESS Act. During the meeting, Keilah asked about the differences between the ACCESS Act and the Health Care Fairness for Consumers Act (HCFCA), signaling interest in how the proposals compare on expanding coverage options and affordability. She noted that Rep. Bentz has been engaged on related efforts, including cosponsoring Rep. Buddy Carter’s legislation, and that the office would take a closer look at the ACCESS Act given its alignment with their priorities.

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Advocacy and Engagement

On February 18th, Lobbyit met with Jessica Dauchness, Legislative Director in the office of Lloyd Smucker, to discuss Rep. Max Miller’s ACCESS Act. Rep. Smucker cosponsored H.R. 379 last year and has been a consistent supporter of market-based reforms and strengthening employer-sponsored coverage, particularly in his role on the House Committee on Ways and Means. During the meeting, Lobbyit referenced past efforts to reform STLDI that had stalled in committee and discussed the differences in the new legislative proposals aimed at expanding flexibility and affordability in coverage options. Jessica noted that Rep. Smucker would be especially interested in policies that enhance consumer choice, reinforce employer-employee based insurance, and provide alternatives that address shortcomings in the current ACA framework, and committed to taking a closer look at the ACCESS Act.

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Advocacy and Engagement

Lobbyit met on January 29th with Karen Williams, policy counsel for Rep. Max Miller, to discuss the ACCESS Act’s role in expanding access to Short-Term Limited Duration Insurance (STLDI) for up to 36 months. Karen emphasized that the office strongly appreciated NEA’s engagement and noted their office’s coordination with Rep. Buddy Carter’s team given his work on a similar bill last year that stalled out in committee. Karen explained that Rep. Miller’s motivation for introducing the ACCESS Act is rooted in concerns raised by small business owners who want to offer health coverage to employees but face significant regulatory and cost barriers under current law. They identified STLDI as one of the most viable coverage pathways for employers, particularly given rising healthcare costs and the need for more flexible insurance options. The office views STLDI as a potential “flag-bearing” alternative as Congress continues to debate how to expand or reform the ACA, noting that Rep. Miller supported extending ACA tax credits recently with the understanding that Congress must continue working across the aisle on solutions that function in practice, like STLDI.

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Engagement this month

This month, Lobbyit and NEA leadership met with representatives from CMS (Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services) CCIIO (Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight). CCIIO directly oversees rulemaking around short-term limited duration insurance, making this an incredibly valuable meeting with policymakers in the regulatory space. The meeting was attended by a large number of agency staff from CCIIO, including Deputy Administrator Peter Nelson, the Director of CCIIO.

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