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Dear Friend,
After a busy week in Congress, I’m back home in eastern Connecticut, and here with an update on my bipartisan work to lower health care costs, protect and expand Social Security, and more. Thanks for starting your weekend here with me.
Improving Transparency in Health Care
The cost of health care is a top issue for Americans, and as a Senior Member of the House Education and Workforce Committee – which helps oversee health care policy in Congress – it's a top issue for me, too. I’m working across the aisle with my colleagues on the committee to lower costs and this week, the Committee passed my Hidden Fee Disclosure Act – a bipartisan bill which would help lower costs for Americans on employer sponsored insurance plans.
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| Click here to watch Rep. Courtney speak about the Hidden Fee Disclosure Act. |
Transparency on its own is a powerful force to lower drug costs. The finances of the health care system can be opaque and complicated, and prescription drug prices are one of the biggest cost drivers for employer-sponsored health plans – more than emergency room visits, hospital stays, and doctor’s appointments. When it comes to insurance plans, employers and employees deserve to have a clear picture of the drug price negotiations which determine costs – and have confidence that the products they are buying were negotiated in their best interests.
Under the Hidden Fee Disclosure Act, Pharmacy Benefit Managers – the middlemen who negotiate prices with drugmakers for insurance plans – would need to make their business practices clearer. By sharing information about the types of compensation the Pharmacy Benefit Managers receive, the types of rebates, price concessions or discounts they negotiate, those who manage health care plans fiduciaries can ensure that dollars aren’t diverted to products or companies that don’t provide excellent value to patients. As a result, the cost of prescription drugs will decrease for patients.
I look forward to voting for this bill on the House floor.
Strengthening Social Security
On Wednesday, I joined Rep. John Larson to re-introduce the Social Security 2100: A Sacred Trust Act. I’m as committed as ever to protect and expand the Social Security program. Over 150,000 people in Connecticut’s Second District rely on Social Security. It allows seniors to retire with dignity and is also a critical program for children who have lost a parent. Millennials are projected to rely on Social Security more than their parents and grandparents, but there are long-standing problems with the program which need to be addressed. That’s why Congress must act and pass Social Security 2100.
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| Click here to read more about the Social Security 2100: A Sacred Trust Act. |
The Social Security 2100 Act would expand payments across the board by 2 percent, improve the annual Cost of Living Adjustment so that it better reflects the level of inflation seniors feel in their wallets, and make more overdue expansions to the program. To pay for these improvements, the bill would apply the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) to earnings above $400,000 – with those extra earnings counted toward benefits at a reduced rate – and close the loophole of avoiding FICA taxes.
Social Security has been a reliable insurance program for 83 years. The Social Security 2100 Act would ensure it stays that way for future generations. Click here to read more about the improvements it makes to the program.
Australian Submarine Officers Graduate from "Nuclear Power School"
An exciting development for the trilateral AUKUS agreement, and eastern Connecticut’s role to make it a success. Last Friday, three Australian Navy Submarine officers graduated from the U.S Navy’s “Nuclear Power School” in South Carolina – alongside over 70 U.S. officers. Next, the Australian officers will head here to eastern Connecticut and continue training at SUBASE New London.
One of the centerpieces of the AUKUS agreement is the transfer of U.S. Virginia-class submarines to our Australian allies in the 2030s. These Groton-built, nuclear-powered, and conventionally armed ships will greatly expand the Australian Navy’s undersea fleet, but their submarine officers first need the training and expertise to operate them. Last year, my bipartisan bill, which I introduced with the AUKUS Working Group, established this joint-training program and in the coming years, more Australian Navy officers will complete joint training alongside U.S. Navy officers.
The AUKUS agreement sets a bold path forward for undersea partnership between the U.S., Australia, and the United Kingdom. The future arrival of Australian Submarine Officers to the Submarine Capital of the World is a yet another signal of the critical role our region will play to deliver on its core mission.
Tomorrow: PACT Act Claims Clinic in Norwich
I want to invite you to the PACT Act Claims Clinic tomorrow in Norwich – an event organized by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Easterseals Veterans Rally Point. I hope to see you there!
The Honoring Our PACT Act is one of the largest expansions in Veterans’ benefits ever. Since the bill was signed into law last year, over 1,000 Veterans in Connecticut’s Second District have filled new PACT Act claims.
Tomorrow’s free event is a great opportunity for more Veterans, their family members, transitioning service members, and survivors to file new PACT Act claims with in-person support.
ICYMI: New Legislation to Deliver Relief for Homeowners with Crumbling Foundations
Last week, I joined colleagues, local government agencies, and grassroot homeowner advocates to announce the Casualty Loss Deduction Restoration Act--my bipartisan bill which would allow homeowners with crumbling foundations to once again defray the cost of repairs by claiming tax deductions. It has strong bipartisan support from across the nation, and I am confident we can advance this bill and support families who have incurred exorbitant losses at no fault of their own. Click below to watch a story on the bill from NBC Connecticut.
Thank you for taking some time to read my update. If we can be of any assistance, don't hesitate to give my Norwich office a call at (860) 886-0139.
Sincerely,
Joe Courtney
Member of Congress
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