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.
I disagree with today’s D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that the federal government cannot provide subsidies to qualifying enrollees in the federally run health insurance marketplace.
I am very disappointed that Senate Republicans voted to block legislation to ensure that women can make their own health care decisions without interference from their employers.
Much to House Republicans’ dismay, the Affordable Care Act continues to ride a wave of good news as more Americans experience the many benefits of the health care law. Today’s New York Times editorial reports on a recent survey showing how the Affordable Care Act is leading to fewer uninsured Americans – and that Americans who obtained insurance under the Affordable Care Act are happy with it:
It is very disappointing that the Supreme Court today delivered a setback to women's health care across the country by allowing certain corporations to withhold the full range of health care options available to them under the law.
In recent weeks, House Republicans have gone silent on the Affordable Care Act, abandoning their pursuit of votes and hearings intended to repeal the healthcare law. Their sudden lack of action on the issue shows what we knew all along: the Affordable Care Act works. Here are some highlights from today’s New York Times editorial:
I join in congratulating Sylvia Mathews Burwell on her confirmation today as our next Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Earlier this month, the White House released the third U.S. National Climate Assessment revealing the dangerous effects climate change is already having – and will continue to have – on regions across the nation. From extreme weather and water shortages to rising food prices and seasonal allergies, the report serves as a call to action for Americans to work together to secure a more sustainable future.
Today’s headlines don’t bode well for House Republicans, who are recovering from a pretty bad week last week. First up, a Los Angeles Times editorial hits the GOP for their continued conspiracy theories, even as criticism surrounding their partisan pursuit of a Benghazi Select Committee continues to grow. Check out a few highlights:
The release today of the third U.S. National Climate Assessment is an important step toward fulfilling the goals of the Climate Action Plan President Obama laid out last June.
Today’s announcement that 8 million Americans have signed up for private health insurance plans through the federal and state health insurance marketplaces makes it very clear: