Rep. Underwood Introduces Health Care Affordability Act to Lower Insurance Premiums
The Health Care Affordability Act of 2025 is currently in the early stages of the legislative process. It was recently sent to the House Committee on Ways and Means for review. The bill is actively moving forward, but no further meetings or votes have been scheduled yet.
Companion bill: Sen. Shaheen Introduces the Health Care Affordability Act to Lower Insurance Premiums →No action since January 2025
While this is a major priority for Democrats, it faces strong opposition from Republicans who generally oppose expanding government health care spending.
This bill’s path across every version that has carried it.
Reintroduced
Reintroduced from H.R. 1692 (118th), which died when its Congress ended.
H.R. 1692 (118th) →Scores run from -100 (strongly harmful) to +100 (strongly beneficial) for each group, combining impact, certainty, scope, and duration ratings of 1-5. How impact scoring works
Self-employed people and small business owners who buy their own insurance through the marketplace would benefit from expanded and permanent premium subsidies. Many small business owners earn too much to qualify under current rules but still struggle with high insurance costs. Capping premiums at 8.5% of income would provide meaningful relief, especially for those just above the current 400% income cutoff.
“400 percent and higher........................ 8.5 8.5.”
Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Senators rejected both a Democrat-led bill to extend tax credits for three years and a Republican proposal for health savings accounts. The failure to pass the Health Care Affordability Act or a compromise leaves millions facing skyrocketing premiums in 2026 as enhanced subsidies expire.
Lawmakers are sprinting to avoid premium increases as enhanced subsidies expire. While Democrats push for a clean extension via the Health Care Affordability Act, GOP Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick is proposing a compromise with a 700% poverty level income cap to bolster help for lower earners.
Analysis shows that expiration of enhanced premium tax credits would increase average annual premiums by 114%, from $888 to $1,904. The Health Care Affordability Act of 2025 was introduced to prevent this by removing the 400% poverty level 'subsidy cliff' and capping premiums at 8.5% of income.
No votes recorded for this bill yet.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Health Care Affordability Act of 2025
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