Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) applauded the Biden administration’s announcement of a new rule that will lower health care costs for Americans by fixing the so-called “family glitch” to increase access to quality, affordable health care for Nevadans. Cortez Masto has been a leader in the Senate on protecting access to affordable health care and previously led legislation to address this problem.
“Health care costs are one of the top issues I hear about from Nevadans, and I’ve been working throughout my time in the Senate to make sure that everyone can get affordable, quality care. I’ve continually pushed for this critical fix, and I’m glad the administration is taking this important step to lower costs and make sure all families can afford quality care.”
Under the current regulations implementing the Affordable Care Act, health care costs for individuals who get insurance through work are capped at 10% of their annual income. This cap doesn’t apply to coverage that includes that worker’s spouse or children, meaning that many Americans pay more than 10% of their income to get insurance that covers their entire family. The administration’s proposal means an estimated 200,000 additional families would be able to afford coverage, and one million families would see health care costs decrease.
Senator Cortez Masto has been a long-term supporter of affordable, quality health care, including mental and behavioral care. She has cosponsored legislation to make healthcare more affordable by giving Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices, capping drug costs, and expanding ACA subsidies through the American Rescue Plan. In 2019, she cosponsored legislation to fix the same glitch that the Biden administration order addresses. Senator Cortez Masto also helped protect millions of unemployed and furloughed workers from losing their health insurance in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. She has introduced the Dependent Income Exclusion Act to make health insurance more affordable for families with children who have part-time jobs or are enrolled in job training programs.
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