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Why Democrats wanted a Medicare-for-All hearing *without* workers

Democrats and health care legislation. Every time they get in a room together, American workers pay the price—in hard-earned money and peace of mind.

Today, a Pelosi-controlled committee that doesn’t have expertise in or jurisdiction over health care is meeting to discuss the future of Medicare-for-All, the latest push in Democrat efforts to take away options and put the government in charge of everyone’s future.

Republicans at the Education and Labor Committee are all about what’s best for the American worker, and that’s probably why Speaker Pelosi doesn’t want to hear from us right now. We’re very concerned about what Medicare-for-All means for the 152 million Americans who get their heath coverage through their employer. More than half of all working Americans have employer-sponsored health coverage, and that number is up 2.6 million since President Trump took office and the economy started thriving again.

There’s no denying that the cost of health care has been on the rise for decades, but employer-sponsored options are proven to have better value. In 2017, average individual premiums rose by 3 percent and family premiums rose by 5 percent. Americans who didn’t have free market options didn’t fare so well—Exchange premiums shot up by about 30 percent. If we’re going to bring down the costs of health care, the answer is clearly more options—not fewer. 

The economy is hot. With more job openings than job seekers, it’s a good time to be an American worker. Employers who want to compete for the best talent know they need to put together the best salary and benefit packages. Competitive health insurance options are what workers want, families need, and employers can provide.

Speaker Pelosi has worked very hard to control the room, the witnesses, and the message on this controversial proposal, but this bill is one we don’t have to pass to find out what’s in it. It takes away choices, it downgrades quality, and American workers—who are finally getting ahead—don’t need it.
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