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.
As Congressional Republicans head to Philadelphia today for their three-day retreat, we wanted to be sure you had their updated (and by updated, we mean alternative) itinerary. Check it out here:
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
1:00 PM: How to Take Health Care Away from 30 Million Americans
2:00 PM: Town Hall Survival Guide: Planning Your Escape Route
On Friday, President Trump issued his first executive order, a vague yet potentially broad attack on the Affordable Care Act that has created uncertainty over what the impact of it will be.
Well, I think this was largely, Erin, an opportunity for him to get to know members of the leadership that he did not already know, and it was an opportunity to just have a, frankly, a conversation, although serious issues were brought up, but discussion in depth did not occur.
That the Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans are using their first full week of controlling the government to attack women’s health is very telling about their priorities.
Yesterday's executive order represents the first step in the Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans taking control of our health care system and sowing dangerous uncertainty.
Another day, another Congressional Republican dodging their constituents as they share their outrage on Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act without offering a real replacement. This time, it’s Michigan Rep. Justin Amash. This headline says it all: “Scores Turned Away From Contentious Rep. Justin Amash Town Hall Meeting”:
Let me join Leader Pelosi in thanking Barack Obama and Michelle Obama for bringing to the White House such vision, such commitment, such courage, such civility, such respect for others, such a sense of duty.
While thousands of Americans across the country are speaking out against Republicans efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Republicans back home are hiding from their constituents. The reason? They still don’t have a real plan to replace the law, and they refuse to answer to the millions of Americans who stand to lose coverage and see their costs go up.
As this morning’s Washington Post sums up, the pressure is mounting for Republicans to come up with a plan to replace the Affordable Care Act before they repeal it. But Republicans remain deeply divided on a path forward. From the Washington Post:
Last week, Congressional Republicans took the first step toward repealing the Affordable Care Act, yet they still haven’t shown the American people their replacement.