Press Releases

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Enhancement Act (H.R. 1425), legislation that will build on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to lower health costs and prescription drug prices. This vote comes days after the Trump administration again asked the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down the entirety of the ACA.

“The Affordable Care Act has dramatically improved the quality of health coverage, expanded access for millions of hard-working Americans, and been a lifeline for families that lost their jobs during the COVID-19 recession,” said Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01). “This bill will make care more affordable and address the rising costs of prescription drugs that have seen enormous increases in recent years. This comes in sharp contrast to the ongoing actions of the administration to take away health coverage from millions of people in the middle of a public health and economic crisis.”

The Patient Protection & Affordable Care Enhancement Act includes provisions to:

• Significantly increase the ACA’s affordability subsidies to be more generous and cover more middle-class families. 
• Negotiate for lower prescription drug prices.
• Expand coverage, pressing Medicaid expansion hold-out states to adopt coverage for the 4.8 million Americans cruelly excluded from coverage.
• Combat inequity in health coverage faced by communities of color and fight the maternal mortality epidemic.
• Crackdown on junk plans and strengthen protections for people with pre-existing conditions.

“As a diabetes educator and nurse practitioner from Kenmore, I work with patients to help them manage their diabetes and far too often that means helping them obtain insulin when they cannot afford it. I am living with Type 1 diabetes myself and insulin prices have skyrocketed in the 14 years since my diagnosis," said Dana VanBuecken, ARNP. “Many of my patients are forced to travel to Canada to get their prescriptions at a cheaper price. Sadly, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the border has been closed since March, leaving Americans with no choice but to pay higher prices at home. Insulin unaffordability often leads to rationing, putting people at much greater risk of diabetes complications. It is now more urgent than ever that Congress guarantee that patients can afford their prescriptions. I commend Rep. DelBene's efforts to pass legislation that will help the health and pocketbooks of my patients and neighbors.”

More information about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act can be found here.