The issue over insurers dropping out of Obamacare has shot up a matter of grave concern for Democrats, who are turning to Republicans for help, The Hill reports.
In order to fix the growing problems faced by the healthcare law, Democrats are proposing changes in the Obamacare plan, according to The Hill.
Top insurers, who are not satisfied with the policy have either opted out of the program or hiked their premium rates, amounting to widespread criticism by the GOP, ahead of the election this fall.
Even as the Democrats are pushing back at the Republican attacks, they see a silver lining as they approach the GOP to work with them to help fix the law.
"There are things we can do and need to do to address restoring competition in these exchanges, and my hope is when we're through the elections and past the elections, we'll do those," Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware said.
The Democratic senator pointed towards improving programs in the health law which was created to protect insurers from high costs and losses. Tightening rules for special signup periods, is a crucial change which Carper suggested.
Insurance companies have observed that people sign up only after they are diagnosed with some illness. Despite Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell's endeavour to come up with a solution, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said her efforts might not pay off.
"There's going to be ups and downs in these marketplaces," Murphy said, reports The Hill. "I think the secretary's got some ability to try to smooth out these edges, and there are other things that ultimately we might want to talk about legislatively.
"She's only got so much ability, but there's clearly people getting into these exchanges mid-enrollment period that shouldn't be, and that's one of the things that's upsetting some of the actuarial data," he added.
When asked if the situation could get any worse, Murphy replied, "You know, I think the Affordable Care Act [ACA] from the very beginning has been a roller coaster. There are a lot more ups and downs."
Last Thursday, Burwell discussed ways to improve the healthcare law with Democratic senators. HHS also presented statistics on how the law had fared.
"Burwell answered many tough questions on how to improve the competitiveness of the marketplace, stabilize plans and improve access and affordability," Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said.
As many as 33 Democrat senators have called for adding a government-run insurer, or "public option," to Obamacare, Politico reported.
While the HHS maintained silence on Aetna's announcement to drop out of many Obamacare policies, Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., pointed towards the company's suggestion for the need of a public option.
"I don't think we need any more proof that a public option is critical to bringing more competition and accountability to the insurance market," Merkley said, reports The Hill.
Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's running mate Tim Kaine, along with few other moderates were among those missing from the list, who signed for a public option.
The public option may not see light as long as Republicans control the House or Senate. However, the Democrats are positive that Republicans may join hands to overcome glitches, especially if Clinton wins the presidency in November.
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