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Statement of ACAP CEO Margaret A. Murray on Passage of American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 10, 2021
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Jeff Van Ness, (202) 204-7515, jvanness@communityplans.net
STATEMENT OF ACAP CEO MARGARET A. MURRAY ON PASSAGE OF AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT OF 2021
WASHINGTON— Margaret A. Murray, Chief Executive Officer of the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), released the following statement on the final passage of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021:
“We applaud the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act, which will provide needed relief to people whose lives have been upended by the pandemic.
“COVID-19 has cost lives. It has cost jobs. It’s robbed us of special moments with our loved ones. And the pandemic has posed unique challenges for our health care safety net.
“This legislation will preserve crucial access to health care for working families. It gives states financial incentives to extend Medicaid to low-income, working adults, which includes many home health aides and others who work on the front lines.
“It will also encourage states to provide women with 12 months’ continuous coverage through Medicaid or CHIP after they deliver a baby. This policy will go a long way toward addressing the maternal mortality epidemic as well as health inequities. It is also an important step toward full 12-month continuous eligibility for all people covered by Medicaid and CHIP, protections that ACAP has led the charge on for more than a decade. We hope that in the coming months even more people will benefit from continuous-eligibility provisions.”
“It also provides much-needed adjustments to Marketplace coverage subsidy formulas to improve affordability for working families, shores up needed support for rural providers, and increases the Federal matching rate for home- and community-based services.
“These are just a few ways in which the American Rescue Plan helps assure the resilience of our health care system as our nation continues to recover from this pandemic. We applaud the leadership shown in passing this bill and look forward to continuing efforts with Congress and the Administration to rebuild in the wake of the past twelve months.”
About ACAP:
ACAP represents 78 health plans, which collectively provide health coverage to more than 20 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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