February 15, 2022 - Washington, D.C. – On Monday, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined her colleagues in a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra urging the Biden administration to limit the sale and availability of short-term, limited-duration insurance (STLDI) plans, also known as “junk plans” because of their failure to provide adequate, comprehensive health insurance coverage.

In 2018, in an effort to sabotage the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Trump administration made junk plans more widely available to consumers. These plans are not required to cover people with pre-existing conditions, provide coverage for the 10 essential health benefit (EHB) categories, or cap annual out-of-pocket payments. Senator Cortez Masto has consistently worked to eliminate junk plans and improve health care coverage for all Nevadans.  

“It is our responsibility to ensure that all Americans have access to affordable and comprehensive health care coverage. In order to strengthen that commitment, HHS must act quickly to limit the proliferation and promotion of STLDI plans, and undue the sabotage caused by the previous administration,” said the Senators.

The full text of the letter is available here.

Senator Cortez Masto has cosponsored legislation to make healthcare more affordable by giving Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices, capping drug costs, and expanding ACA subsidies through the American Rescue Plan. Senator Cortez Masto also helped protect millions of unemployed and furloughed workers from losing their health insurance in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. She also has introduced the Dependent Income Exclusion Act to make health insurance more affordable for families with children who have part-time jobs or are enrolled in job training programs.
Source: Senator Catherine Cortez Masto