Congresswoman Elaine Luria voted for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act (H.R. 1425), which will expand access to health insurance coverage, lower prescription drug costs, and combat health disparities to improve our health care system for all Americans.
“As our nation grapples with a global health emergency, we must ensure health care is affordable and accessible for all Americans,” said Luria, D-Va. “I remain committed to fixing our broken health care system, and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act is a step towards ensuring that Congress do its part to reduce drug costs, protect people with pre-existing conditions, and combat disparities in access to health care.”
This bill augments the ACA’s affordability subsidies to cover more middle-class families. Under this legislation, no American would have to pay more than 8.5 percent of their income for a benchmark silver plan in the ACA marketplaces, and many Americans would see their premiums cut in half or more:
- A family of four earning $40,000 would save nearly $1,600 in premiums each year.
- A 64-year-old earning $57,420 would save more than $8,700 in premiums each year.
- A single adult with income of $31,900 would see premiums cut in half.
- An adult earning $19,140 would see premiums cut to zero, saving $800 dollars a year.
Additionally, the bill would establish the Fair Drug Pricing Program, which directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate maximum prices for selected drugs that Americans rely on.
This provision was also carried in the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Prices Now Act (H.R. 3).
Another critical component of the bill is its protections for people with pre-existing conditions. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act reverses the Trump Administration’s regulations that permit health insurance plans to deny coverage to people based on their health histories.
Finally, this bill would combat inequity in health coverage faced by communities of color. It would address the maternal mortality epidemic by requiring states to extend Medicaid or CHIP coverage to new mothers for one-year post-partum.
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