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 the grandfather of a child with a severe food allergy, this is an issue very near and dear to my heart,” said Whip Hoyer. “This important legislation will encourage all schools and school personnel to be prepared in the event of an emergency allergic reaction and have the epinephrine injectors on hand that can save a child’s life. When it comes to treating food allergies, preparation is the best medicine. I thank my colleague Rep. Phil Roe for all of his work on this bipartisan measure.”
Once again, House Republicans are wasting the Congress’s time on a bill that has nothing to do with creating jobs or dealing with the pressing issues that confront us before the end of the year. The Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act is based on the same failed claim that deregulation will lead to job growth. Economists from both sides of the aisle strongly disagree and have said the link between regulations and unemployment is negligible, and they further add that many of our regulations help businesses compete on a level playing field. This farm dust bill is merely a smoke screen for Republican inaction on legislation that is actually important and would have significant bearing on millions of Americans. Even worse, the bill’s definition of ‘nuisance dust’ is overly broad and makes it easier for mining, smelting, excavation, and industrial operations to pollute in rural communities.
I continue to be disappointed that House Republicans are wasting Congress's time on ideologically driven bills to erode federal protections for consumers and communities instead of working on a plan to create jobs. The REINS Act would undermine our ability to protect children from harmful toys, prevent asthma and lung ailments resulting from pollution, and ensure that our small businesses can compete fairly in the marketplace. At the same time, it would force Congress to play a larger role in the regulatory process, leading to even more gridlock in Washington. Economists have told us again and again that regulations have a negligible impact on unemployment, and in many cases they help create the conditions for private sector growth. Right now, we cannot afford the uncertainty Republicans are creating for businesses by attempting to bog down the regulatory process. We need to consider real job-creating legislation, like House Democrats' Make It In America plan and the President's American Jobs Act. I hope Republicans will stop focusing on placating their most extreme supporters and instead work with Democrats on policies that benefit all Americans.
It’s been nearly a year since Republicans took the House majority and they pledged to focus on Americans’ top priorities: creating jobs and growing our economy. But instead of working with Democrats on a bipartisan basis to put Americans back to work and address the deficit in a meaningful way, Republicans have led an unproductive year and focused on the wrong priorities.
Democrats have repeatedly indicated that we are willing to work with our Republican counterparts to extend the payroll tax holiday. If it is allowed to expire at the end of this year, Americans will have less money in their pockets, threatening our economic recovery at a critical time. We should not leave for the holidays until Congress has extended the payroll tax holiday, unemployment insurance benefits, and fixed the Medicare physician payment rate. Republicans should not play political games with these critical policies, and I hope that they will work with us to take action on these items quickly.
On World AIDS Day, we remember those who we have lost and recommit ourselves to the unfinished work of treating and saving the lives of the millions living with the disease. It is also a day to draw strength from the great strides we have made as a nation and in concert with our international partners in the fight against global HIV-AIDS. During these times of challenge and uncertainty, we must not lose sight of our ongoing commitment to expand access to treatment and prevention and to fund research for a cure. The money we spend each year on programs like PEPFAR, ADAP, and the Global Fund has saved countless lives and reaffirmed America as a beacon for hope in Africa and around the world.
I welcome the Supreme Court’s decision to consider legal challenges to the Affordable Care Act and have every confidence that the Court will uphold the constitutionality of this law. The Affordable Care Act continues to provide benefits to millions of Americans; from children with pre-existing conditions to seniors who are now saving money on prescription drug costs. I am confident Americans of all ages will continue to benefit from the health care law, as it will be upheld.
Today’s jobs report shows that we need to take action on jobs immediately. But after more than 300 days in the majority, Republicans have done little to address job creation despite their repeated claims that they would focus on Americans’ top priorities: creating jobs and growing the economy. However, Republican rhetoric doesn’t match their actions.
Stop us if you have heard this one before: Instead of bringing a jobs bill to the floor, today House Republicans are bringing up a draconian abortion bill that puts women's health at risk. The bill would limit how women with private insurance can spend their own private dollars in purchasing health insurance and is a solution to a problem that does not exist.
One year ago today, the Affordable Care Act’s “Patient’s Bill of Rights” went into effect, putting families, not insurance companies, in control of their health care and providing new health care freedoms for everyone from children to young adults to seniors.