Health Care
House Democrats are committed to expanding access to quality, affordable health care coverage, strengthening protections for people with pre-existing conditions, and lowering prescription drug prices and the cost of health care overall.
Under President Biden and Congressional Democrats, the uninsured rate is at an all-time low. While Republicans vote against legislation to lower health care costs, House Democrats are working to bring down the overall costs of health care and increase access to health care coverage.
With the landmark Inflation Reduction Act, House Democrats took direct action to reduce health care costs for millions of Americans. For the first time, Medicare will be able to negotiate prescription drug prices for high-cost drugs. The law also caps out-of-pocket prescription drug costs for Medicare recipients at $2,000 annually and establishes a $35 cap for a month’s supply of insulin. The Inflation Reduction Act also protects progress made under President Biden to expand access to quality, affordable health care coverage by continuing the expanded premium tax credits originally passed in the American Rescue Plan, which lowered health care premiums for millions of working families.
This built upon the Affordable Care Act – enacted by President Obama and Congressional Democrats in 2010 – that has put American families in control of their own health care and ended a system that put profits ahead of patients. Since its enactment, 35 million Americans have gained access to quality, affordable health coverage. Americans with pre-existing conditions can no longer be discriminated against by insurance companies. Parents can now keep their children on their insurance plans up to age twenty-six. Insurance companies are no longer allowed to put annual or lifetime limits on coverage or drop people when they get sick. Additionally, thanks to the law, Medicare costs – from premiums and deductibles to overall program spending – have slowed to well below the levels projected before the law passed.
These reforms were crucial, especially when the COVID-19 pandemic struck but more action was needed. That’s why House Democrats worked to enact legislation right away - without any Republican support - to ensure that testing, treatment, and vaccinations for COVID-19 would be covered with no out-of-pocket costs to Americans.
House Democrats remain committed to the goal of affordable, accessible health care for all.
With the news that Senate Republican leaders do not have the votes needed to bring their dangerous TrumpCare bill to the Floor to be debated, it is time for them to abandon their failed plan and work with Democrats to address the challenges facing our health care system.
Ladies and gentleman, what Chuck Schumer has said is right.
The longer the Senate delays their TrumpCare vote, the more unpopular the bill becomes. Health insurance companies are speaking out against the latest version of the bill, sending a letter to Leader McConnell raising concerns about loss of coverage, a spike in premiums, and undercutting protections for those with pre-existing conditions.
Do you receive health coverage through your employer? Then TrumpCare puts your costs at risk. According to the Washington Post, the 177 million Americans who have employer-based coverage could see their premiums increase. Highlights here:
This week, Senate Republicans released a new version of their harmful TrumpCare bill. It undermines protections for Americans with pre-existing conditions and guts protections that prohibit annual and lifetime limits.
Look, we get it, if at first you don’t succeed. But in this case, Leader McConnell still doesn’t have the votes after unveiling yet another version of TrumpCare, which is even worse than the last. A look at the news shows Senate Republicans are still deeply divided and lack the votes to pass their bill - which is why they should abandon this bill and work with Democrats to improve the Affordable Care Act:
The changes that Senator McConnell has made still put at substantial risk millions of people in terms of their health care coverage.
Senate Republicans’ latest attempt at a TrumpCare bill proves that no matter how they tweak it, what they produce continues to promise only higher rates, reduced coverage, and millions kicked off their plans – even those covered through their employers. Their legislation still guts Medicaid.
I want to thank a group of Democratic House Members for putting forward ideas to improve the Affordable Care Act.
A look at the headlines from this weekend shows the Senate TrumpCare bill is on life support. The GOP continues to be deeply divided, and they still don’t have the votes to pass it. It’s long past time for Republicans to abandon their flawed bill and work with Democrats to improve the Affordable Care Act.