WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a senior member and former chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, voted for the Health Care Freedom for Patients Act to lower health care costs for Iowans. Democrats blocked the measure, which required 60 votes to advance, by a vote of 51-48.
“Today, Republicans put forward a health care plan that provides real relief to a broken system, and I was glad to vote for that legislation. Our bill would have built on the success of the Working Families Tax Cuts by sending money directly to patients so they can control their own health care. In Washington, I’m going to continue leading the fight to lower health care costs through prescription drug middlemen reform, transparency and competition,” Grassley said.
“Rather than address the true failures of Obamacare, Democrats want to extend Biden COVID Bonuses for households making $600,000 and insurance companies. By sending billions in taxpayer dollars straight to these companies, Democrats tried to obscure the rising cost of a broken health care system they built. Even worse, they deliberately set up these COVID bonuses to expire, creating an artificial crisis of their own making. My oversight has shown this program is full of fraud and waste, and extending it without any meaningful reform is unacceptable,” Grassley continued.
Full text of the legislation can be found HERE.
Background:
The Health Care Freedom for Patients Act expands Health Savings Account (HSA) eligibility by allowing accounts to be paired with more affordable health insurance plans. These pre-funded, patient-driven accounts will help Americans pay for the out-of-pocket costs that are making health care unaffordable. The bill directly lowers premiums by 11% in 2027 and beyond by providing cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments. It also bars taxpayer funding for abortion or transgender services.
Grassley is a leading voice in Washington to find policy solutions that will make health care services more accessible and affordable. In April, Grassley led the Senate Judiciary Committee in approving six bipartisan bills to boost competition in the pharmaceutical industry and improve access to more affordable prescription drugs.
Lower- and middle-income earners will still be eligible for Federal Health Insurance Marketplace subsidies in 2026 because subsidies for households making under 400% of the federal poverty limit are in permanent law. In 2021, Democrats temporarily lifted the income cap for those making over 400% of the federal poverty limit, meaning families making $600,000 per year could qualify for Biden COVID bonuses. These Biden COVID bonuses are set to expire at the end of 2025, returning insurance subsidies to pre-pandemic levels.
Several provisions from the Senate Finance Committee’s Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBM) Price Transparency and Accountability Act were lifted from Grassley’s Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act, which he led through the Finance Committee as chairman in 2019.
In July, Grassley voted for the Working Family Tax Cuts law, which included a $50 billion rural health transformation fund to ensure hospitals, nursing homes, community health clinics and other rural providers can continue serving their communities and improve care.
Earlier this week, Grassley spoke on the Senate floor about fraud, waste and abuse in Obamacare, and the need for real reforms.
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