Chairs Crapo, Cassidy Unveil Republican Bill to Make Health Care Affordable, Give Money Directly to Families

Washington, D.C.-U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), chair of the Senate Finance Committee, and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-Louisiana), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, unveiled the Health Care Freedom for Patients Act, historic Republican legislation to lower health care costs and give money directly to families to control their own care. This bill is an alternative to Democrats' temporary COVID bonuses, which send billions of tax dollars to giant insurance companies without lowering insurance premiums.

"Giving billions of taxpayer dollars to insurers is not working to reduce health insurance premiums for patients," said Senator Crapo. "We need to give Americans more control over their own health care decisions. This bill builds on the work we did in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act and will help Americans manage the rising cost of health care without driving costs even higher."

"Instead of 100 percent of this money going to insurance companies, let's give it to patients. By giving them an account that they control, we give them the power. We make health care affordable again," said Dr. Cassidy.

This legislation:

• Sends money to patients, not giant insurance companies;
• • Americans on affordable bronze and catastrophic plans would access these dollars in a Health Savings Account (HSA).
  • These funds cannot be used for abortion or dangerous gender transitions.
• Lowers insurance premiums by funding cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments;
• Empowers Americans to choose the insurance plan that fits their needs by increasing access to low-cost catastrophic plans;
• Prevents illegal immigrants from accessing Medicaid by requiring states to verify citizenship and immigration status before coverage; and
• Stops taxpayer dollars from funding gender transition services under Medicaid and excludes them as an essential health benefit for plans sold on the Obamacare exchanges.

Background

In line with President Trump's call to direct money to patients instead of insurance companies, this approach builds on the success of the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, which expanded HSA eligibility to be paired with more affordable insurance plans. These pre-funded, patient-driven accounts will help Americans pay for the out-of-pocket costs that are making health care unaffordable.

In contrast, Democrats' temporary COVID bonuses do not lower costs or premiums. They throw billions of dollars at insurance companies-up to 20 percent of which can go to profit and overhead-and the expiration of this policy only accounts for roughly 4 percent of the premium increase in 2026. Instead of subsidizing insurance companies, Congress should empower patients to control their own health care.

Click here for a one-pager.

Click here for bill text.