Republicans in the House of Representatives passed a health care reform bill Wednesday night targeting rising costs as the expiration of Obamacare tax credits rally support for change ahead of the midterm elections.
The new GOP-backed legislationentitled Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act, does not extend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits that expire on December 31. The bill, introduced by Iowa Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, passed the House on a near party line 216-211 vote.
Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie was the only GOP member to vote no. No Democrats supported the bill.
Miller-Meeks said on the House floor Wednesday that the new legislation reduces health care costs by “forcing transparency” and implementing “common sense solutions.”
“By lowering premiums through choice and competition, expanding association health plans, we are giving small businesses and the self-employed the purchasing power of large employers, reducing premiums by up to 30 percent,” Miller-Meeks said. “By being transparent about drug prices, we are taking on pharmacy benefit managers who have long operated behind the scenes as middlemen, collecting hidden fees while prescription prices rise. »
WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 16: U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-IL) speaks as Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), House Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN), House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise (R-IL), and House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain (R-MI) listen during a press conference at the United States Capitol on December 16, 2025 in Washington. DC. House Republican leaders held a news conference to discuss the GOP agenda. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Kentucky Republican Rep. Brett Guthrie further argued that the ACA is an “unsustainable” system that has seen premiums increase significantly since its inception.
“Health care spending has nearly doubled since Obamacare was passed. Health care options have been decimated by Democratic overreach, and millions of Americans are saddled with medical debt across the country,” Guthrie said on the House floor Wednesday. “Obamacare premiums have increased 80% since the program’s inception, with patients paying an average of $5,000 out of pocket to meet their deductible. » (RELATED: Obamacare stalemate drags on, but health care solution could reduce medical costs nationwide)
WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 22: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), joined by House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) (L) and House Democratic Conference Chairman Rep. Pete Aguilar (R), speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill on October 22, 2025 in Washington, DC. The government shutdown has entered its 22nd day. (Images by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
The passage of the legislation, however, was hampered by the success of a petition from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
The New York Democrat successfully lobbied the House majority to support a discharge petition requiring House Speaker Mike Johnson to hold a vote on a three-year extension of the ACA’s enhanced appropriations, thanks to the support of four moderate Republicans representing swing districts: Pennsylvania Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, Rob Bresnahan and Ryan Mackenzie and New York Rep. Mike Lawler.
“The bill before us does nothing for the 15 million Americans who are about to lose their health insurance, the million children who are about to go uninsured, the hundreds of hospitals that are closing or about to close,” Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Katherine Clark said Wednesday. “Now that we have a bipartisan discharge petition, ready to vote on today, can’t you find the time to do so? We are ready to vote, Mr. President, you have the authority to present it today. Let the will of the people be the will of the people’s House.” (RELATED: 4 Republicans sign Democrat Obamacare petition to force House vote on subsidies)
WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 15: U.S. Representative Mike Lawler (R-NY) speaks to reporters as he arrives for a meeting of the House Republican Caucus at the U.S. Capitol on May 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. House Republicans have gathered to discuss the Republican budget bill as they try to bring it up next week for a vote. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
A three-year extension of the appropriations, however, was defeated in the Senate earlier in December in a vote promised as part of the deal to end the government shutdown in October on the same issue of improving ACA appropriations. Jeffries’ petition must also “ripen” for seven legislative days, meaning a House vote on the three-year extension won’t come before the appropriations expire.
“I don’t think the Senate will accept it. It’s just posturing,” Tennessee Republican Rep. Tim Burchett told the Daily Caller News Foundation on Wednesday.
“We need to fix the problem, and throwing more money into a broken system is not going to solve the insurance problem,” Burchett said. “It’s not transportable, it’s not affordable, and the only people who thrive off of it are the insurance companies, and they’re getting bigger.”
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