VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) — On Monday, Rep. Mike Levin introduced a new bill aiming at capping health insurance premiums for households enrolled in both Medicare and Affordable Care Act health coverage plans.
The inspiration behind the Health Insurance Premium Fairness Act came from a local man, Ted DeBont, who noticed a loophole in the acts.
Debont noticed a drastic increase in his health insurance premiums after transitioning to Medicare a few years ago.
“You have a certain percentage that you aren't allowed to go over in premium costs that's in the Affordable Care Act, but when one spouse goes onto Medicare, that spouse's Medicare doesn't go into that percentage,” DeBont said. "Our bill was essentially going to double."
Despite the Affordable Care Act's goal of making health insurance accessible, he found that this loophole allowed for unexpected premium hikes.
To address this issue, DeBont reached out to Congressman Mike Levin's office for help. Levin's subsequent investigation revealed a problem, leading to the development of new legislation aimed at protecting individuals, like the DeBonts, from similar challenges.
“We've suffered through it we don't want others to suffer through it,” he said. DeBont and his wife Karla are now advocating for a change to prevent others from facing a similar struggle.
"Now we need to continue to move the ball. It's not easy in this environment to have any new legislation that's going to cost a penny," Levin said.
