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ACAP Statement on President’s Speech on Affordable Health Care
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, February 28, 2023
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Jeff Van Ness, jvanness@communityplans.net, (202) 204-7515
STATEMENT OF ACAP CEO MARGARET A. MURRAY ON PRESIDENT’S SPEECH ON AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON—Today, Margaret A. Murray, CEO of the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), issued the following statement in response to a speech delivered by President Biden that focused on the need to strengthen publicly-sponsored programs to keep health coverage affordable:
“Medicaid and CHIP are investments in our fellow Americans. Accordingly, we applaud President Biden’s leadership and echo his call to keep publicly-sponsored health coverage programs such as Medicaid and CHIP strong.
“The benefits of these programs are easy to find: Access to care on par with private insurance. Lower child and infant mortality rates. Higher rates of high school and college degree attainment among children who are covered by the programs – just to name a few.
“As Congress debates the best path forward on the budget, it’s vital that people who rely on Medicaid and CHIP for coverage maintain access to the care and services they need to get healthy, and to stay healthy.
“Maintaining this access is also crucial as states unwind from the pandemic-related prohibitions on reverification of Medicaid eligibility. States owe it to their citizens to perform Medicaid redeterminations carefully and deliberately during this period of unwinding.
“Because ultimately, Medicaid is a marker of how we treat our fellow citizens here in America: Medicaid is US.”
About ACAP: ACAP represents 79 health plans, which collectively provide health coverage to more than 25 million people. Safety Net Health Plans serve their members through Medicaid, Medicare, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), the Marketplace and other publicly sponsored health programs. For more information, visit www.communityplans.net.
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