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.
Another day, another article about Americans speaking out against Republican efforts to repeal the ACA without immediately replacing it. Today’s story is brought to you by The Hill. The message from constituents has been loud and clear: they do not support the GOP plan to Make America Sick Again. At what point will Republicans listen?
On Sunday, Speaker Paul Ryan confirmed to the American people that Republicans are moving ahead with their plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act – despite reports that Republicans were changing their rhetoric, swapping “repeal and replace” for repair.
This week, Democrats introduced legislation to repeal the Trump Administration’s Muslim ban, which is unconstitutional and makes American less safe.
We are not in agreement, Mr. Speaker. What we would be doing would be 180 degrees different.
Despite promising to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act for the last seven years, Republicans are no closer to reaching agreement on an alternative to the ACA. So, what do they do now? Change their rhetoric, according to Energy & Commerce Committee Chair Greg Walden. But all Republicans are doing is injecting uncertainty and chaos into our health care system, and the American people will see right through their attempts to rebrand their plan to Make America Sick Again.
Add Rep. Barbara Comstock (VA-10) to the list of Republican Members who are trying to avoid tough questions from constituents on the GOP’s effort to repeal the ACA without immediately replacing it. Last weekend, her office advertised her attendance at two constituent town halls.
At last week’s GOP retreat, Congressional Republicans confirmed what Democrats and the American people have known all along: they have no real plan to replace the Affordable Care Act.
As Republicans continue their efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act without offering a real replacement plan, Members are feeling the heat from their constituents. In Virginia, Rep. Dave Brat (VA-07) complained to a conservative audience about vocal constituents who are concerned about losing coverage and increased health care costs.
Following his inauguration, President Trump signed a vague, yet potentially broad, executive order attacking the Affordable Care Act.
It’s one thing for Republicans to seek to take away health coverage from tens of millions of Americans; it’s another to sabotage the existing health system while it is serving American families.