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Democratic

Joe Courtney

Congressman Joe Courtney was elected in 2006 to represent the Second Congressional District of Connecticut in the House of Representatives. He serves on the House Armed Services Committee, and House Education and Labor Committee.

Congressman Courtney is the Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces. According to a review by House Historians Office, Courtney is the first known member from Connecticut to lead a naval oversight panel in the House of Representatives since 1873, when Stephen W. Kellogg of Waterbury served as Chair of the Committee on Expenditures in the Navy Department in the 42nd Congress (1871-1873). Prior to that, Samuel Ingham, a two-term Congressman with connections to Hebron, Jewett City (Griswold) and Essex, served as chair of the Committee on Navy Affairs in the 25th Congress (1837-1839).

Medicare Buy-In And Health Care Stabilization Act

The Courtney-Larson-Higgins plan would allow Americans age 50-64 to buy-in to Medicare, the system with the highest satisfaction rate of any health insurance program, according to a 2016 Gallup poll. By leveraging the power of Medicare, its wide provider network, and low administrative costs, those approaching retirement could see significant savings.

Participants could buy into Medicare, including Part A, B, and D, for an annual premium potentially as low as $8,212, compared to the $13,308 it would cost a 60 year old to buy a Gold plan on the exchange (before any subsidies are applied).

Our plan also proposes important common sense solutions to bolster stability. Establishing a reinsurance program, strengthening the Cost Sharing Reduction program, and investing in ways to reduce long-term costs to the system are simple but important actions we must take in order to ensure a healthy and affordable insurance market for all.

There are ways to improve quality while also reducing the financial burden on Americans. We encourage you to join us in showing the American people the way forward for our health care system.

Medicare Buy-In for those ages 50-64

  • Participants would purchase Medicare coverage (Part A, B, and D) at-cost, keeping the program budget neutral
  • Plans would be offered on the exchanges, providing opportunity for comparison-shopping
  • Those eligible for premium tax credits or cost-sharing reductions could apply them towards their buy-in premium
  • Employed Americans (ages 50-64) could opt into this plan, and their employers could contribute on their behalf

HHS is also authorized to negotiate volume discounts on prescription drugs (Part D) to achieve even greater savings in the system and to the benefit of all Medicare beneficiaries

Market Stabilization

  • Re-establish an individual market catastrophic reinsurance program
  • Extend Risk Corridors through 2020
  • Improve cost-sharing reduction subsidies in current law to ensure low-income families can rely upon this assistance every year

Bending the Cost Curve

  • Establish an advisory commission to address long-term costs and delivery system reforms to improve the quality of patient care, improve the health of populations, and reduce the cost of care
  • Enhance Medicare Program Integrity efforts to fight fraud and abuse in the system that hurts the long-term solvency of the program and harms our beneficiaries.

Additional Information:

Bill information and status (congress.gov)