PA House Passes Affordable Care Act Protections
Rep. Dan B. Frankel March 25, 2025 | 3:25 PM
HARRISBURG, March 25 – The Pennsylvania House of Representatives today voted to ensure that people maintain access to essential health care under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
House Democrats voted unanimously for the bills, which would ensure that these essential protections remain in place for Pennsylvanians despite threats to dismantle the ACA at the federal level:
“We are committed to making sure that health insurance works for all Pennsylvanians, regardless of what happens in Washington, DC,” said House Insurance Committee Majority Chairman Perry Warren, D-Bucks, who sponsored the bill to maintain coverage for preventative service. "The ACA requires health insurers to cover many different types of preventive care, and it's saved countless lives. We must ensure that this aspect of the ACA as well as the other protections we voted for remain in place. It could literally be a matter of life or death."
“No patient should ever have to hear that they’ve maxed out their coverage when they still have months of treatment ahead,” said House Health Committee Majority Chairman Dan Frankel, D-Allegheny, who sponsored the bill banning lifetime limits on coverage for essential benefits. “Our bill package would ensure that regardless of attacks on consumer protections by Washington politicians, Pennsylvanians can rely on their insurance coverage when they need it most.”
“The federal Affordable Care Act addressed a significant issue by allowing parents to keep their children on their health insurance until age 26, preventing young adults from losing coverage when they turned 18,” said state Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Luzerne, who sponsored the bill to ensure children have insurance until age 26. “However, parts of the Affordable Care Act remain under threat from Republicans in Congress. If the Affordable Care Act were ever struck down, many adult children could lose their health insurance, potentially leading to a crisis in the health insurance market. I was proud to stand with my colleagues and vote yes on my bill today, taking an important step toward protecting health coverage for young Pennsylvanians."
“We need to give people peace of mind that their insurance coverage will continue, no matter what happens at the federal level,” said state Rep. Jim Haddock, D- Lackawanna/Luzerne, who sponsored the bill protecting coverage for pre-existing conditions. “Before the ACA, it was common for people with serious ailments like cancer or heart conditions to be denied health insurance coverage because of having a pre-existing condition. This meant that many Pennsylvanians seeking essential medical care faced unnecessary burdens on their finances and health.”
“The Affordable Care Act is at risk,” said Lt. Gov. Austin Davis. “That’s why we must take action here in Pennsylvania to enshrine its protections into state law. We can’t go backward. There’s too much at stake. It’s time to take off our red jerseys and blue jerseys and put on our Pennsylvania jerseys to get this done for the good people of our commonwealth.”
“We care about the Affordable Care Act because we want to see that our patients and the communities they are a part of are healthy,” said Matt Yarnell, president of SEIU Healthcare PA. “We also care because our members aren’t just health care workers, they are health care consumers who have benefitted from the protections that the ACA has given us. Many of our union’s Homecare workers are unable to access employer-based health care, and the ACA and Medicaid expansion is how this important workforce accesses health care. We can’t eliminate health care for thousands of health care workers who would have no other way to access health care.”
“I am here to fight for the protections of the Affordable Care Act because every Pennsylvanian deserves to see a doctor when they are sick or injured, no matter what," said Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa. "As these bills make their way to the Senate, my colleagues and I will continue to raise our voices to fight for quality, affordable, and accessible health care for every single Pennsylvanian. Let’s get it done.”
“The health care of Pennsylvanians matters,” said state Sen. Vincent Hughes, Democratic Appropriations chair and prime co-sponsor of the Senate versions of the ACA protection bills. “While Republicans in Washington are actively working to cut health care, Pennsylvania Democrats will not be distracted by their obsession to make billionaires richer. Health care is essential, and we are doing everything we can at the state level to make sure people in Pennsylvania have access to high quality, affordable care. The system isn’t perfect, but we will continue to work with leaders, advocates, and communities to protect what is working and fix what is falling short.”
This year marks the 15th anniversary of the signing into law of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
“The Affordable Care Act made necessary, life-saving changes to our health care system. I saw first-hand as a physician how discriminatory health insurance practices prevented people from getting the care they needed because they were denied or couldn’t afford coverage. Even a minor condition from years past could be considered a pre-existing condition and was enough to keep people from getting insurance – too often keeping people away from the care they needed until the condition became an emergency,” said DHS Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh. “Everyone – no matter where you get health insurance -- is better off because of the ACA’s consumer protections, and Pennsylvanians cannot afford to go back. We must protect the progress we have made over the last 15 years by codifying these critical consumer protections in Pennsylvania law so no matter what, Pennsylvanians’ health will be protected.”
Pennsylvanians can access ACA health coverage through Pennie, Pennsylvania’s official health insurance marketplace, where people can access high quality affordable health insurance.
“The Affordable Care Act has made high-quality insurance more affordable for consumers than ever before,” said Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Michael Humphreys. “Consumers no longer have to worry about being denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions or paying out-of-pocket for essential health services like annual checkups and certain screenings or immunizations. Thanks to the ACA, we now have a healthier Pennsylvania, and I’m proud to see the advancement of legislation that would make the ACA a permanent reality here in the commonwealth.”
The ACA protection package now moves to the Pennsylvania Senate for consideration.