Excerpt:
Chairman Alexander, Ranking Member Murray, and members of the committee, thank you for the privilege of
testifying. I am Tarren Bragdon, the Founder and CEO of the Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA).
FGA works at the state and federal level to advance policy reforms to free more Americans to experience the
power of work and reduce the biggest payroll deduction for most Americans, the cost of health coverage. Our
model reforms were introduced in 41 states this year and have passed in 29 states over the past three years.
As this committee leads with bipartisan ways to improve cost and coverage, I offer three recommendations for
your consideration:
First, Americans with pre-existing conditions need premium relief as well as access to individual insurance, without
being segregated to plans with fewer benefits or higher premiums than those available to everyone else. This can
be achieved by employing proven strategies that have successfully brought down premiums and reduced the
number of uninsured.
Second, states need real policy flexibility to allow a greater continuum of health coverage, particularly for those
buying their own insurance on the individual market, with a clearly defined and reasonable process and timeline.
