Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia Voted in Favor of the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Enhancement Act

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (TX-29) voted in favor of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act, a bold piece of legislation that builds on the Affordable Care Act to lower health costs and prescription drug prices for all Americans. Today's vote comes days after the Trump administration filed a brief asking the Supreme Court to strike down the entirety of the ACA.

"It's unconscionable for the Trump Administration to continue trying to tear down the ACA during a pandemic that has claimed the lives of more than 125,000 Americans. In the middle of a pandemic, access to quality, affordable health care is more important than ever for the health and well-being of families throughout Texas and across the country," said Congresswoman Garcia. "This is why House Democrats worked hard to get this bill passed. Hard-working Americans who are underinsured or uninsured cannot afford to wait for expanded health care coverage."

The bill significantly increases the ACA's affordability subsidies to be more generous and covers more middle-class families. For the first time, no person will have to pay more than 8.5 percent of their income for a benchmark silver plan in the ACA marketplaces, and many Americans will 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 an 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.

The bill negotiates for lower prescription drug prices, making it easier to negotiate lower drug prices so that Americans no longer have to pay more for our medicines than Big Pharma charges for the same drugs overseas.  According to a new report from Patients for Affordable Drugs, from January to June of this year, 245 drugs were subject to an average price increase of more than 20 percent.  Of these drugs with price hikes by Big Pharma, more than 75 percent directly related to the COVID-19 crisis, including 30 drugs that are currently in clinical trials for their effect against the virus.

The bill expands coverage, pressing Medicaid expansion hold-out states with new incentives to adopt coverage for the 4.8 million Americans cruelly excluded from coverage while restoring the outreach and advertising funding that the Trump Administration has slashed to prevent Americans from learning about the affordable health coverage available to them under the ACA.

The bill combats inequity in health coverage faced by communities of color, expanding more affordable coverage to vulnerable populations and fighting the maternal mortality crisis by requiring states to extend Medicaid or CHIP coverage to new mothers for a full year post-partum.

The bill cracks down on junk plans & strengthens protections for people with pre-existing conditions, reversing the Trump Administration's expansion of junk health insurance plans that do not provide coverage for essential medical treatments and drugs and that are allowed to discriminate against people with pre-existing medical conditions.

"I made a promise to families in the Houston region and across Texas to lower the cost of health care," continued Congresswoman Garcia. "I am proud to have joined my colleagues in passing this critical legislation that will help expand access to healthcare for millions of Americans. As we combat the growing coronavirus crisis, I will continue to demand an end to the Administration's dangerous lawsuit that would strip millions of Americans of their health care and call on Republicans to join us in protecting and expanding access to quality, affordable care for all."

A fact sheet on the provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act is available here.

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Congresswoman Sylvia R. Garcia was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2018, becoming the first Latina ever to represent the Texas 29th Congressional District. She serves on the House Judiciary and Financial Services Committees.