WESTERMAN REINTRODUCES COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH CARE REFORM PLAN TO LOWER COST AND EXPAND COVERAGE FOR ALL AMERICANS

Today, Congressman Bruce Westerman (AR-04) introduced the Fair Care Act of 2026, a comprehensive health care reform plan that combines over 75 bipartisan proposals to lower costs, decrease the number of uninsured individuals, protect those with preexisting conditions, and expand coverage options. Congressman Westerman released the following statement:

"For a health care system that is the largest contributor to our federal debt and where Americans spend over $5 trillion annually with 18%, and rising, of our GDP, we cannot afford to let partisan politics stand in the way of common sense and quality care. That's why I introduced the Fair Care Act, an overarching solution that increases the number of people with health insurance coverage, decreases patient costs, and lowers long-term government spending.

"The Fair Care Act takes politics out of the equation and introduces common sense and competition to the health care marketplace, making health care more economical, straight forward, and accessible to all Americans."- Congressman Bruce Westerman

"The Fair Care Act is the most rigorous, credible, carefully constructed, free-market health reform plan that Republicans have ever advanced. It expands coverage and reduces the deficit without raising taxes. The Fair Care Act works by reducing the underlying cost of health care, giving patients more affordable and innovative options for their coverage and care. I'm grateful to the Fair Care Act's sponsors, especially Rep. Westerman, for advancing these ideas."- Chairman and Co-Founder of The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity (FREOPP), Avik Roy

"The Fair Care Act would transform American health care. As high health care costs crush working- and middle-class families, improving affordability and access to medical care could not come at a better time. The Fair Care Act would enable families to obtain much-needed care at competitive rates that work best for their budget while demonstrating that the United States can achieve broader coverage without a government-run health care system."- FREOPP resident health care fellow, Gregg Girvan

Background

The Fair Care Act of 2026 is the fifth version of the Fair Care Act of 2019, crafted with more than 75 bipartisan provisions.

Some of the Fair Care Act of 2026 provisions include:

• Codifying the Affordable Care Act preexisting condition protections in HIPAA.
• Offering greater protections for patients with preexisting conditions through an "Invisible Guaranteed Coverage Risk Pool" and guaranteed coverage Medigap plans.
• Eliminating the employer health insurance mandate and allowing those with Employer Sponsored Insurance (ESI) offers to receive premium assistance.
• Strengthening and increasing enrollment in the commercial marketplace through expanded assistance to 600 percent FPL and state innovation waivers.
• Expanding the use of pretax dollars to cover more medical expenses, including insurance premiums and direct primary care arrangements.
• Promoting transparency by publishing provider networks and prices for common services.
• Requiring medical providers to send timely, transparent bills to patients.
• Discouraging hospital consolidation and anti-competitive behavior while protecting rural hospitals from closures.
• Modernizing the prescription drug approval process to bring safe, effective medicine to patients faster.
• Reforming Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) practices, including eliminating Direct and Indirect Remuneration (DIR) fees.
• Expanding the number of health professionals that can provide telehealth services.
• Modernizing Medicare enrollment through a competitive bidding process, which promotes Medicare Advantage plans.
• Establishing a flexible Medicaid funding option for states and closing the gap between Medicaid eligibility and premium assistance in the individual market.

• Promoting fiscal accountability and solvency for Medicare and Medicaid.

Read the full bill text here.