{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.alexander.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=B4835553-4AF7-46FE-A021-61995DA4EF7B", "Alexander to HHS Secretary Nominee Alex Azar: As Secretary, You Can Help Lower Premiums for the 350,000 Tennesseans in the Individual Health Insurance Market", "2017-11-29", "2017", "2017-11", "Republican", "House", "TN", "Lamar Alexander", "A000360", "www.alexander.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "\u201cYou will oversee the Affordable Care Act\u2026In Tennessee, premiums have increased 176 percent in four years, and an additional 58 percent this year. Both Congress and the Administration need to act to provide relief for these Americans.\u201d\r\nWASHINGTON, D.C.,\u00a0November 29, 2017\u00a0\u2014 U.S. Senator\u00a0Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today chaired a hearing for Alex Azar,\u00a0President Trump\u2019s nominee to serve as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), where he urged Azar, if confirmed, to work to\u00a0lower Tennesseans\u2019 health insurance premiums and stabilize the individual health insurance market.\u00a0\u00a0\r\n\u201cIf confirmed, you will be faced with skyrocketing premiums in the individual health insurance market that are currently a nightmare for the nine million Americans \u2014 including 150,000 Tennesseans \u2014 who do not receive a government subsidy to help them pay for their health insurance,\u201d Alexander said. \u201cIn Tennessee, premiums have increased 176 percent in four years, and an additional 58 percent this year.\u00a0Both Congress and the Administration need to act to provide relief for these Americans.\u201d\r\n\u00a0Alexander continued, \u201cI worked on an agreement with Senator Murray, which was co-sponsored by 11 other Republicans and 11 other Democrats, that would give states more flexibility to use the innovation waiver already in the law to find ways to lower premiums. It would also prevent a 25 percent price increase in premiums by 2020 by paying cost sharing subsidies, decrease the federal dollars spent on ACA premium subsides, and as a result, lower the deficit.\u00a0 Yesterday, President Trump said he supported the Alexander-Murray agreement becoming law by the end of the year.\u201d\r\nAlexander concluded, \u201cAs HHS Secretary, there are other steps you can take to lower premiums and stabilize the market, such as approving states\u2019 innovation waivers, which could increase access to lower cost plans and incentivize younger and healthier individuals to purchase insurance. If we can take these steps to stabilize the markets for the next few years, it will provide time to repeal and replace Obamacare with a better system. The American people deserve health care reform that is done in the right way, for the right reasons, in the right amount of time. It is about working toward long-term solutions that work for everyone.\u201d\r\nAlexander, as chairman of the Senate health committee, held four hearings in September on steps Congress could take to stabilize premiums in the individual insurance market so that the 18 million Americans \u2013 including 350,000 Tennesseans \u2013 who buy health insurance in the individual market will be able to buy insurance at more affordable prices. Julie McPeak, Tennessee\u2019s state insurance commissioner who said in August of 2016 that the state\u2019s individual health insurance market was \u201cvery near collapse,\u201d and Governor Haslam testified at those hearings.\r\nOn October 17, Alexander announced he and Sen. Murray reached a short-term deal to stabilize the individual health insurance market and begin to lower the costs of premiums so all Americans have access to health insurance. Alexander has said the legislation is the \u201cfirst step to avoiding chaos that could occur during 2018 and 2019 if premiums continue to skyrocket and millions of Americans \u2013 including thousands of Tennesseans \u2013 find themselves without a way to purchase insurance.\u201d\r\nAlexander also said today that Azar, if confirmed, will be\u00a0coordinating a department-wide effort to combat the opioid crisis that is ravaging this country, where just last year, 1,631 Tennesseans died of a drug overdose \u2013 12 percent more than the year before. In October, the Senate health committee held the first of a series of hearings on the opioid crisis with the federal response, where Alexander talked about efforts the committee has worked on to help prevent addiction, encourage appropriate prescribing and improve treatment.\r\nAlexander said at last month\u2019s hearing, \u201cLast July, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act was signed into law, which established new programs and encouraged those on the front lines to work together to combat substance abuse. In December, as part of the 21st\u00a0Century Cures Act, we updated drug abuse programs and provided $1 billion for prevention and treatment efforts.\u201d\r\nAzar, if confirmed, will also be in charge of overseeing new authorities in the 21st Century Cures Act, which Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) called \u201cthe most important piece of legislation\u201d in 2016.\u00a0Alexander was the lead Republican Senate sponsor of Cures, which was signed\u00a0into\u00a0law last December. This past spring, the administration began issuing grants funded by Cures, including nearly $14 million for Tennessee. While the Senate health committee holds a courtesy hearing on the nomination of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Finance Committee receives his paperwork and will vote on his nomination.\r\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://www.alexander.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=B4835553-4AF7-46FE-A021-61995DA4EF7B"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.1894911769777536, "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"}