Congressional Democrats Seek Input on Public Health Insurance Option
On May 26, Representative Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, announced their plans to develop legislation to establish a federally administered public option for health coverage. The Chairs issued a public Request for Information (RFI) letter requesting input as the Committee leaders begin to draft comprehensive public option legislation, with responses due by July 31, 2021.
The purported goals of developing a public option are expanding health quality coverage, improving affordability, and lowering healthcare costs for American families. The RFI letter poses eight relatively broad questions that seek to solicit answers that would guide lawmakers to craft a proposal that they believe would accomplish their stated goals. The questions are largely centered around seeking input on who should be eligible to join a federally administered plan, how to structure its benefits, and how to maintain a network of doctors.
Impact on General Dentistry: AGD plans to weigh in with policymakers regarding a public option to the extent that it stands to impact the practice of dentistry and the dental profession. Given the currently vague nature of the actual design of forthcoming public option legislation, it is unclear what Rep. Pallone and Sen. Murray’s public RFI impact will have on the policymaking process.
The purported goals of developing a public option are expanding health quality coverage, improving affordability, and lowering healthcare costs for American families. The RFI letter poses eight relatively broad questions that seek to solicit answers that would guide lawmakers to craft a proposal that they believe would accomplish their stated goals. The questions are largely centered around seeking input on who should be eligible to join a federally administered plan, how to structure its benefits, and how to maintain a network of doctors.
Impact on General Dentistry: AGD plans to weigh in with policymakers regarding a public option to the extent that it stands to impact the practice of dentistry and the dental profession. Given the currently vague nature of the actual design of forthcoming public option legislation, it is unclear what Rep. Pallone and Sen. Murray’s public RFI impact will have on the policymaking process.