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.
The Chairman of the Budget Committee has spoken of a choice between two futures. He is correct in framing it this way. The budget he proposes would end the Medicare guarantee, cut taxes for the wealthiest, and place our economic recovery at risk.
Last week, House Republicans put forward a more-of-the-same budget that ends the Medicare guarantee while protecting tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, and puts our economic recovery and jobs at risk. While Republicans were clear that they want to protect tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and place the burden of deficit reduction onto seniors, the middle class, working families, and the most vulnerable, their budget left several questions unanswered.
Last week, House Republicans introduced a budget for fiscal year 2013 that is a repeat of the budget they put forward last year. It ends the Medicare guarantee while protecting tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, and according to the Economic Policy Institute, puts four million jobs at risk. Instead of pursuing a budget that creates jobs, strengthens entitlements, reduces the deficit in a balanced way, and asks all Americans to contribute their fair share, the Republican budget makes the wrong choices.
Today marks the second anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, a law that is already delivering greater access to high quality care, stronger patient protections, and more predictable health care costs to American families and businesses – all while reducing the deficit. Today, insurance companies can no longer discriminate against children with pre-existing conditions – a protection that will extend to all Americans by 2014. They can no longer impose arbitrary caps on coverage, charge women higher premiums than men for the exact same policies, or drop people from their plans when they get sick. Medicare beneficiaries now pay less for their drugs and nothing for their preventive care, and their premiums have either held steady or outright declined.
Two years ago today, the Affordable Care Act was signed into law. It was a major step forward in our efforts to provide access to affordable health care to more Americans. Today, millions of Americans are already seeing the benefits.
WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) delivered remarks today at a press conference highlighting benefits of the Affordable Care Act. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery:
Yesterday, Republicans unveiled a more-of-the-same budget for fiscal year 2013 that ends the Medicare guarantee while protecting tax cuts for the wealthy, and puts our economic recovery at risk. The Republican budget makes the wrong choices and places the burden of deficit reduction onto seniors, the middle class, working families, and the most vulnerable by refusing to ask the wealthiest among us to contribute. Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan called on the American people to make a choice between two futuresfor our nation. Here’s a look at our future under the Republican budget – and the future Democrats envision instead.
Two years ago, we passed a comprehensive health care reform package that is already lowering costs, expanding access, and contributing to deficit reduction. The Affordable Care Act was a significant moment when Congress once again took bold action to constrain the growth in health care spending and make insurance more accessible and affordable for all Americans. In the wealthiest country on the face of the Earth, we ought to make sure people can get insurance and have affordable, accessible health care.
I thank the gentlewoman from New York for yielding time. I'm proud to stand with her and with other Democratic members in support of the women's access to comprehensive, affordable health care. Access that was greatly expanded by the Affordable Care Act, which passed two years ago this week and which my Republican colleagues want to repeal.
Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, 165 million Americans with private insurance and 48 million seniors and disabled Americans with Medicare are experiencing better coverage and lower, or slowed growth, in health care costs.