Bloomberg Campaign Press Release - Mike Bloomberg Will Defend and Expand Access to Affordable, Quality Health Care for All Americans

NEW YORK — There are nearly 28 million people without health care coverage in the United States, most of whom cannot afford existing coverage options. Under President Trump, the number of uninsured has risen for the first time in a decade and drug prices have gone up. Our health care system leaves too many people exposed to high medical bills, eats into workers' wages, public budgets and employers' bottom lines and puts millions of American families one medical emergency away from financial ruin.

Mike Bloomberg believes that no one should suffer because they can't afford health insurance, and no one should face financial hardships because of medical bills. Health care is a right. As president, Mike will deliver affordable, reliable health care to all Americans.

Mike's Plan:

• Creates a Public Option: Create a Medicare-like health plan, administered by the federal government, to every American who wants it. Prioritize covering the uninsured, including low-income Americans in states that haven't expanded Medicaid.
• Reverses Trump's Sabotage of the Affordable Care Act and Builds On It: Ensure that Americans with pre-existing conditions have access to insurance coverage. Expand enrollment efforts to the ACA markets, Medicaid and CHIP to cover the more than 12 million people currently eligible for free or low cost health coverage but unenrolled.
• Reduces Health Care Prices and Ban Surprise Medical Bills For Everyone: Cap insurance premiums at 8.5% of a household's income through expanded tax credits in the individual market, making marketplace plans accessible to roughly 2.4 million more Americans in the individual market. Create a permanent federal reinsurance program that will drive down premiums for all Americans. Ban surprise hospital bills: If a patient is treated by an out-of-network doctor in an emergency, the hospital and insurer will negotiate a price and keep the patient out of it. Cap out-of-network hospital rates at 200% of Medicare rates, saving families money and driving health care prices down for all Americans.
• Lower Drug Costs: Cap Medicare beneficiaries' annual out-of-pocket costs at $2,000. Authorize Medicare to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies, and apply those prices to the commercial market. Eliminate drug-company payments to pharmacy benefit managers and reform the Medicare Prescription Drug benefit to encourage greater competition.

For more information on Mike's health care plan, visit here.