Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued a statement following the release of a rule by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding Section 1332 of the Affordable Care Act, also known as the State Innovation Waiver:
"Today HHS has taken an important step to support states that want to use State Innovation Waivers to tailor their health programs to best serve their constituents," Wyden said. "When I authored this provision, the intent was clear: allow states to innovate while still achieving the objectives of the Affordable Care Act -- to bring high-quality, affordable health care to millions of Americans that previously did not have access."
More information on today's rule announcement can be found here.
Wyden authored the policy, now known as State Innovation Waivers or Section 1332, which was included in the Affordable Care Act and allows states to waive certain provisions of the health law if their proposal is deemed by HHS to meet or exceed the quality, volume, and affordability of health insurance coverage under the ACA.
Last month, Wyden sent a letter to HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell requesting further information about HHS' preparations for when the waivers become available in 2017.