New London — U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who is headed to Washington next week for hearings on health care reform, asked a group of community services providers and state legislators Friday how they think the Affordable Care Act could be fixed.

They had an abundance of suggestions for the state's junior senator during an hourlong roundtable discussion at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital and told him repeatedly that Congress should work to ensure the Affordable Care Act is indeed affordable.

Debbie Kievits, coordinator of The Bully Busters in Norwich, said a lot of young people she works with are opting out of the state's insurance exchanges and "taking the penalty" — paying the fees for nonparticipation — because they can't afford to pay the premiums.  Murphy said it's crucial for young people to participate in the ACA if it's going to work, and that the Senate is discussing a lower value plan.

Katherine Verano, executive director of Safe Futures, said some of her agency's clients don't get the care they need because out-of-pocket expenses are so high and have to be paid within three months to avoid collection actions.

"That's a huge issue," she said. "People are not going to treatment."

Murphy said the Senate Committee on Health would hold four hearings in the upcoming weeks with the goal of passing a narrow package of reforms. He said the plan that was put forward by the Trump administration and rejected by Congress would have been a disaster for Connecticut.

"We want to talk about taking the keys to the American health system away from (President Donald) Trump," he said. "There's bipartisan agreement we have to do that."

Murphy said Trump is trying to sabotage the ACA, as evidenced by the administration's announcement Thursday that it is reducing the program's advertising budget from $100 million to $10 million and cutting the budget for "navigator groups" who help people select a health plan.

He said the goal is to improve the parts of the law that are working and replace those that aren't.

Kathleen Stauffer, chief executive officer of The ARC New London County, which provides services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, implored Murphy to consider nonprofit agencies like hers, which experience a high turnover rate among its employees "because I just can't afford to insure the people."

State Rep. Holly Cheeseman, R-East Lyme, told Murphy not to forget the people who don't qualify for subsidies. Had she not been elected to office and received the state's health care package, Cheeseman said she would have had to pay $750 a month in premiums, plus a deductible, for coverage.

"It's unaffordable for the 11 to 13 million Americans who are buying health care without any help," she said.

Murphy said ultimately something would have to be done about the cost of health care and noted the country's health consumers pay a high cost for drug trials and devices compared to the rest of the world.

State Sen. Heather Somers, R-Groton, who said she has done extensive business in Europe for her biotech manufacturing company, suggested Congress should "cherry pick" what works there to make health care here more affordable. She said the government should be able to bundle and negotiate drug prices and enact tort reform. She said patients who sue medical care providers in Europe and lose have to pay the legal costs.

The discussion at times turned to frustrating government inefficiencies that drive up health care costs.

Somers said at the University of Connecticut, it costs $6,000 a student for those who qualify for Medicaid, while the university offers a plan for $3,000. Enrolling the Medicaid students in the university plan would save $50 million, but getting "waivers" from Medicaid is a tricky process. Murphy seemed familiar with the issue, saying it also applies at the other end of the age spectrum, where elderly Medicaid patients have a hard time getting in-home care, which is less expensive than the skilled nursing care approved by Medicaid.

Jeanne Milstein, director of human services for the City of New London, said an independent evaluator should look at health programs to determine best practices. Murphy said an existing problem, particularly when it comes to addiction treatment, is that there is no agreement on what works best. He said the providers should urge the Trump administration to enforce a "parity law" that requires insurers to provide the same access to treatment for addiction and mental health that they do for physical illnesses such as cancer.

Murphy conversed easily with the large group that had assembled in the hospital's Baker Auditorium, but went silent when Enrique Juncadella from Sound Community Services suggested the senator, with his deep knowledge of health care, could "become President of the United States." 

Murphy smiled, bowed his head slightly and said, "Next question?"

k.florin@theday.com