Times- Herlad- Thompson brings back health care access bill

Everything costs more in the Bay Area, which is why one-size-fits-all subsidies under the new health care law are leaving too many still unable to afford health insurance, U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson says. It's why he and Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D-Silicon Valley) reintroduced a bill on Friday to address this.

The measure was introduced at the last Congress, which ended before members could consider it, Thompson's spokesman said.

The Fair Access to Health Care Act would expand the eligibility for premium tax credits for people living in high-cost areas who buy health insurance through the federal and state Affordable Care Act exchanges.

The subsidies now offered through the Affordable Care Act — Obamacare — are helping millions of low to middle-income Americans buy private health insurance with subsidies adjusted to their income level. Still, Eshoo said in a statement, "There are others in high-cost areas like those in my home district in Silicon Valley who cannot benefit because the threshold to qualify for subsidies does not account for the cost of living.

"The Fair Access to Health Act ties health insurance subsidies to the cost of living of a geographic area instead of to the national federal poverty level. In doing so, we can expand access to health insurance and improve our nation's health."

Thompson explains that in many Bay Area communities, the cost of living far exceeds the national average.

"A middle class income means different things in different parts of the country and that's why the income thresholds set by the ACA need to take cost of living into account," he said. "With qualifying income levels set across-the-board, many hard-working families in high-cost areas like ours don't qualify for subsides and therefore can't get affordable insurance. This bill will help make health insurance affordable, no matter where someone lives."

The law now allows those making between 138 and 400 percent of the federal poverty level to qualify for premium tax credits to help them buy health insurance through the ACA's exchanges. At this level, an individual making up to $45,960 and a family of four making up to $94,200 qualify for premium tax credits.

This income threshold, however, doesn't take into account the cost of living for different geographic areas, the legislators said.

"A family living in New York City or San Francisco is treated the same as a family living in a small town in South Carolina or Texas," they said in their statement. "The Fair Access to Health Care Act would allow the premium tax credits offered through the ACA to be increased proportionally based on an area's cost of living."

Under the proposed new calculation measures, a family of four in Solano County earning up to $109,743 and an individual earning up to nearly $54,000 could qualify for a subsidy, as could the same size family in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont area earning up to $125,757 and an individual earning about $61,000.

In Napa County, a family of four earning up to $116,808 and individuals earning up to$56,990 could qualify, they said.

The new health insurance law already accounts for higher cost-of-living in Alaska and Hawaii to determine subsidy eligibility. The Fair Access to Health Care Act would provide similar adjustments to the other 48 states, Thompson and Eshoo said.