Washington, D.C. | October 1, 2026 - The National Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce submitted comments to Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden’s Request for Information on major reforms to health coverage in America.
Our stakeholders are mostly small employers and self-employed workers who buy coverage in the individual and small group markets, where rising costs and administrative complexity are felt very acutely. Our comments urged the Committee to:
Measure affordability by a family’s total exposure, including deductibles and out-of-pocket costs, not premiums alone
Restore Navigator funding and make enrollment help and materials readily available in Spanish
Restore premium tax credit recapture caps so self-employed workers with variable income don’t face surprise tax bills
Consider Puerto Rico and the territories explicitly in any coverage reform, rather than treating territorial policy as an afterthought
Limit prior authorization, require plain-language denial reasons, and strengthen network adequacy standards that account for language access
Increase transparency and accountability for PBMs, TPAs, and other middlemen, and examine hospital consolidation as an affordability issue for employers and families
A sustainable coverage system has to address the underlying prices, incentives, and market concentration that determine what employers and families ultimately pay.
Learn more about the RFI: https://www.finance.senate.gov/ranking-members-news/wyden-seeks-input-on-major-reforms-to-health-coverage-in-america