A new, bipartisan Congressional proposal could be the first step to make needed changes to the Affordable Care Act, with a goal of stabilizing insurance markets instead of undermining them.

As we outlined recently, we have serious concerns about President Trump’s attempts to reverse the gains Arkansas has seen under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). What we need instead is actual reform – changes that build on the success of the ACA and ensure Arkansans have access to quality, affordable health care. The agreement that Senators Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray announced yesterday represents an important step toward bipartisan action.

The agreement explicitly funds through 2019 cost-sharing reduction payments that the White House would have ended – funds that are intended to keep out of pocket expenses for low and moderate income families affordable.   It also restores funding for outreach and enrollment assistance. Together, these changes would help keep premiums from skyrocketing and ensure that low-income families have help navigating the complexities of the marketplaces.

This is especially important in Arkansas, where state officials have asked to remove 60,000 low-income people from the Arkansas Works insurance program. Those families will be looking for coverage on the private market, and it’s important that quality, affordable options be available for them.

We call on Senators Cotton and Boozman to move quickly in support of this bipartisan effort to ensure market stability for 2018 and to give families and states time to plan for the upcoming fiscal year.