March 28 e-mail: Pennsylvania House takes action to defend the ACA

Rep. Liz Hanbidge March 28, 2025 | 3:01 PM

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Dear Friends,

March 23rd marked the 15th anniversary since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law. When this law passed, it set out three primary goals: making health insurance affordable, expanding the Medicaid program to cover all adults with incomes between 100-400% of the federal poverty level, and supporting innovative medical care delivery methods to lower the cost of healthcare. In Pennsylvania, the ACA has helped expand access to health insurance through the expansion of Medicaid, as well as the creation of the health insurance marketplace known as Pennie. Since the law was enacted, Pennsylvania’s uninsured rate has nearly cut in half, from 10% in 2010 to 5.3% today. Pennie recently concluded its annual enrollment period with a startling almost half million enrollees.

Despite the benefits we have seen from the ACA, it’s been highly politicized, and the act continues to face the threat of being overturned by Congress. Here in the commonwealth, if the ACA is overturned, we will feel devastating impacts economically. While our neighbors will feel the impact of lack of access to care, our hospitals and clinics will have more financial uncertainty, which we cannot afford at a time when we are already seeing hospital closures across the commonwealth. Beyond the incredible research being done in this region, healthcare in the commonwealth employs 1/6 of Pennsylvanians, and is a $175 billion economic driver for our state.

This week, the House took steps to enshrine key components of the ACA into state law, in the event the ACA is overturned. The bills I describe below all passed the House and are now pending in the Senate.

House Bill 404 (Health Insurance for Young Adults Act), introduced by Rep. Pashinski, makes sure that parents can keep their children insured up to the age of 26. Currently, young adults have the highest uninsured rate than any other age group – one in three is uninsured. One in six young adults have reported they have a chronic illness, and half of young adults have reported struggling to pay medical bills. I am a proud co-sponsor of this bill, because many of our young adults don’t have access to employer-based insurance. Young adults should not have to worry about getting sick or injured and face bankruptcy, or fail to get the treatment they need because they lack insurance.

Federal prohibitions on annual and lifetime limits were included in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and allowed millions of Americans with chronic conditions or serious illnesses to get the treatment and care they need without the fear of financial ruin. House Bill 535 (Health Insurance Protections Against Limitations Act), introduced by Rep. Frankel stops insurance executives from capping coverage for essential benefits. Before the ACA was law, many insurance plans could stop paying if you were in a serious accident or have a chronic condition. Lifetime caps had the effect of insurance agencies rather than doctors determining when treatment would end. Patients were sometimes left with the option of going into debt paying for care, bankruptcy, or death if injury or illness was left untreated. The ACA stopped this cap, but there are those in Washington that want to give these decisions back to insurance companies rather than doctors. Five million Pennsylvanians, more than a million of them kids, face chronic conditions and are counting on us to make sure this protection is law.

I was a co-sponsor for House Bill 618 (The Health Insurance Access Protections Act), introduced by Rep. Haddock, which ensures that access to insurance coverage is maintained, regardless of pre-existing conditions. Before the ACA, it was common for insurance companies to deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. Some of the conditions that could prevent you from getting coverage included asthma, diabetes, breast cancer, high blood pressure or cholesterol, or even being pregnant! As a result, those without coverage would skip vital checkups, lack access to medication, or go into debt or bankruptcy to pay bills, and could become more ill or die from untreated health conditions. Around the same time the ACA went into effect, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimated that up to 50% of Americans under the age of 65 had a preexisting condition. If the ACA is overturned, millions of people will lose coverage or be forced into expensive plans. Insurance companies will be able to refuse insurance to people with health issues, even those with coverage. If HB 618 is successful, insurance companies that refuse coverage for pre-existing conditions or skyrocket premiums, could lose their license to operate in PA and face fines up to $500,000 per year. Ultimately, when people can’t pay their medical bills, beyond the cost of human health, hospitals can’t pay their bills. Hospitals will close, lean on taxpayers, or just go out of business – we are seeing this in rural or poorer areas and even in some counties in our region. Hospital closures mean fewer doctors, less access to specialists, worse patient outcomes and higher mortality rates.

Another bill I co-sponsored, House Bill 755 (The Health Insurance Preventative Services Coverage Act), introduced by Rep. Warren, requires insurance policies to cover preventative health care services without cost sharing, and those who fail to comply could be denied the ability to issue new policies in the commonwealth, and could face fines up to $500,000 annually. The ACA requires insurance companies cover preventative care to help keep people healthy and screenings for healthcare issues that may arise in the future. Loss of this coverage would put so many lives at risk. The bill will protect access to blood pressure testing, diabetes tests, annual check-ups, vaccines, and contraceptives. It also includes protections for medically necessary cancer screenings. These services save money and protect people from becoming seriously ill. Most importantly, they save lives.

All four of these bills sit in the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee. If these bills impact you, I highly encourage you to contact your State Senator to urge them to support this package of bills and encourage their colleagues on this committee to support them. If you live in North Wales Borough, Upper Gwynedd or Towamencin Townships, Senator Tracy Pennycuick represents you. If you are in Lower Gwynedd or Whitpain Townships, Senator Maria Collett represents you.

I look forward to providing further updates next week and hope to see you at my REAL ID document verification and information event on Wednesday or my license plate restoration event next Saturday.

UPCOMING OFFICE EVENTS

Real ID – April 2

Towamencin Township Mobile Office – April 3

Need assistance with state services? My office will be at Towamencin Township building on Thursday, April 3rd, from 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m., ready and able to serve you!

License Plate Restoration – April 5

Have a faded, peeling, or hard-to-read PA license plate? We can help!

Join Rep. Melissa Cerrato, Rep. Ben Sanchez, and me for a License Plate Restoration Event with the Lower Gwynedd Township and Upper Police Departments on Saturday, April 5th from 10AM – 12PM at Temple University – Ambler Campus, Learning Center Parking Lot, 580 Meetinghouse Road, Ambler PA 19002.

Call my office at 610-277-3230 to register or if you have any questions.