Healthcare Leadership Council Endorses Bipartisan House Bill to Help Unemployed Maintain Health Insurance Coverage

WASHINGTON, May 14, 2020 – The Healthcare Leadership Council (HLC) has endorsed legislation introduced in the U.S. House that would help the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic maintain their private health insurance coverage.

The bipartisan Health Care Protection Act has been introduced by Representatives Rodney Davis (R-IL) and Kurt Schrader (D-OR) and cosponsored by Representatives Ann Wagner (R-MO), Kendra Horn (D-OK), Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH), and Xochitl Torres Small (D-NM).  The measure would provide six months of health insurance premium assistance at a level equal to what the individual’s employer had provided, and would also create a 30-day special enrollment period on the Affordable Care Act state exchanges for those eligible for coverage.

Mary R. Grealy, HLC president, said Congress should move expeditiously on this legislation at a time in which both unemployment rates and the need for healthcare access are rising.

“America’s working families and individuals are facing extraordinary challenges brought on by the coronavirus, one of the most perilous being the loss of health insurance when furloughs and layoffs occur,” she said.  “We support this legislation so that millions of our fellow citizens don’t lose their coverage at a time when access to quality healthcare is more important than ever.”

Contact:  Kelly Fernandez  202-449-3452

The Healthcare Leadership Council is a coalition of chief executives of the nation’s leading health care companies and organizations. Follow us on Twitter at @HealthInFocus