{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://web.archive.org/web/20140307024759/http://www.alexander.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=a25351c9-de18-4129-b09a-41356392e440", "Alexander, Barrasso, Enzi Introduce Bill to Reverse Administration\u2019s \u201cPolitically Motivated\u201d Decision to Delay Next Year\u2019s Obamacare Insurance Enrollment Until After 2014 Election", "2013-12-18", "2013", "2013-12", "Republican", "House", "TN", "Lamar Alexander", "A000360", "web.archive.org", null, null, "legacy", "December 18 2013  - \nLegislation would require Obama administration to open enrollment prior to election as originally planned, disclose premium increase and cost-sharing information to American families beforehand\nWASHINGTON, Dec. 18 \u2013 Senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), and Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) today introduced legislation that would reverse the Obama administration\u2019s recent decision to delay next year\u2019s Obamacare insurance enrollment deadline until after the 2014 election. \u201cThe Premium Disclosure Act\u201d would also require the administration to provide premium increase and cost-sharing information to Americans prior to open enrollment so they have time to make decisions about their health care.\nIn 2011, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that enrollment in the Obamacare exchanges for 2015 would begin Oct. 15 of next year. But after two months of negative public reaction to the exchange\u2019s high premiums, deductibles and co-insurance, agency officials delayed enrollment and disclosure of next year\u2019s insurance cost increases until after the 2014 elections.\nThis legislation will also make it easier for families to plan for expenses in 2015 by requiring HHS to disclose health insurance plan and cost information 30 days in advance of open enrollment. For the current open enrollment season, agency officials were not required to disclose any information and did not do so until the exchanges opened on Oct. 1.\u00a0\nAlexander, the senior Republican on the Senate health committee, said: \u201cThe only Americans the Obama administration\u2019s delay will help is Democratic politicians who voted for Obamacare, because it delays disclosure of some of the law\u2019s most insidious effects for 2015 until after the election. This legislation would stop the administration from playing politics with Americans\u2019 health care, and ensure that families will know what the costs will be well before the exchanges open.\u201d\nBarrasso said: \u201cThe decision to delay the enrollment season by a mere month adds to the Administration\u2019s long record of misleading the American people about this health care law.\u00a0 Instead of trying to hide the skyrocketing costs, they need to come clean about the terrible impacts of this law. The fact is that many Americans can\u2019t keep their coverage, can\u2019t keep their doctor and can\u2019t afford this law. Our bill will deliver the transparency that the American people deserve when making important health care decisions for their families.\u201d\nEnzi said: \u201cEarlier rounds of health care mandates were not popular, so the Administration has sought to delay as many of them as possible until after the next election. Our legislation would not only prevent this political move, but would make sure families have premium and cost-sharing information in time to make more informed decisions for themselves.\u201d\nThe two-page bill sets the open enrollment dates of the exchanges from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7 in statute, rather than after the November 2014 mid-term elections as the Obama administration currently has planned. It also requires the administration to provide American families with notice of any premium increases and cost-sharing requirements 30 days before open enrollment. Alexander noted that the 30-day notice \u2013 which HHS says is not possible \u2013 is the same that seniors receive for Medicare Advantage, a program that provides private insurance options under Medicare.\nHHS announced in November that it will delay the beginning of the next Obamacare enrollment season by one month, until Nov. 15, 2014, after the midterm elections, instead of beginning open enrollment season the department\u2019s previously announced date of Oct. 15.\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://web.archive.org/web/20140307024759/http://www.alexander.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=a25351c9-de18-4129-b09a-41356392e440"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4555410016328096, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}