[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 196 (Wednesday, November 18, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S7079]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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 SENATE RESOLUTION 777--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE ON THE NEED 
    FOR COMMON SENSE SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVE HEALTH CARE DELIVERY AND 
           AFFORDABILITY FOR ALL PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES

  Mr. PERDUE (for himself and Mrs. Loeffler) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions:

                              S. Res. 777

       Whereas the public health emergency that the United States 
     is currently facing has highlighted the need for common sense 
     solutions to improve health care delivery and affordability;
       Whereas Congress has acted quickly to protect health care 
     for the people of the United States in the wake of the COVID-
     19 pandemic, including expanding access to telehealth, 
     providing coverage for COVID-19 tests and vaccines, and 
     supporting health care providers;
       Whereas health insurance premiums increased by nearly 105 
     percent between 2013 and 2017, thereby making health care 
     coverage both unaffordable and inaccessible for many people 
     of the United States; and
       Whereas nearly 134 rural hospitals have closed their doors 
     since 2010 and the public health emergency has exacerbated 
     the rural health crisis: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that all 
     people of the United States should have access to health care 
     coverage with--
       (1) protections if they have pre-existing medical 
     conditions, including--
       (A) guarantees that no citizen of the United States can be 
     denied health insurance coverage as a result of a previous 
     illness or health status;
       (B) guarantees that no citizen of the United States can be 
     charged a higher premium or cost sharing as a result of a 
     previous illness or health status; and
       (C) access to health care to ensure that the people of the 
     United States with pre-existing medical conditions can afford 
     to receive their care;
       (2) lower costs of prescription drugs and devices, which 
     can be accomplished by--
       (A) cutting red tape in the regulatory process to bring new 
     drugs and devices to market more rapidly;
       (B) lowering prices through enhanced competition by 
     reforming outdated and archaic patent and trademark laws;
       (C) ensuring transparency in the drug supply chain;
       (D) incentivizing domestic manufacturing and ending drug 
     shortages; and
       (E) promoting policies that ensure the people of the United 
     States are not solely responsible for financing the 
     biopharmaceutical innovation that the world depends on;
       (3) lower insurance premiums through increased choice and 
     competition, including through--
       (A) the availability of transparent information related to 
     the price of health insurance premiums and health care 
     procedures so patients can make informed decisions about 
     their care;
       (B) access to association health plans, which have led to 
     average premium decreases of up to 29 percent for small 
     business owners;
       (C) State flexibility to do what is best for communities in 
     that State, which in some cases has lowered health insurance 
     premiums up to 43 percent;
       (D) the establishment of tax-free personal health 
     management accounts to empower patients to afford and 
     personalize their own health care arrangements; and
       (E) expanded access to more doctors and specialists for 
     veterans, those struggling with mental illness, and those who 
     live in rural areas;
       (4) protections from surprise medical bills, including 
     holding a patient harmless from surprise medical bills and 
     making sure patients receive bills in a timely way; and
       (5) safeguards from costly defensive medicine in the health 
     care system, that reflect medical malpractice reform that 
     addresses the additional costs in the medical system that do 
     not improve quality of care.

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