Lowering Health Care Costs for Americans Act

Key Points

• Hospitals, labs, imaging providers, and surgical centers must post their real prices online each month in a format regular people can read and compare. Hospitals that ignore the rules face civil penalties, and for the largest hospitals repeated violations can run into the millions of dollars.
• The bill extends the enhanced premium tax credits through 2031 and raises the income cap from 400% to 700% of poverty. But it adds a minimum monthly premium of $10 to $40 based on income, and phases the extra help down starting in 2028 until it ends after 2031.
• Marketplace plans would be banned from covering gender transition procedures, defined very broadly. Federal tax credits and cost-sharing payments also could not go toward plans that cover most abortions, with exceptions for life of the mother, rape, and incest.
• To enroll in coverage, adults would have to show a government photo ID, and the government could require biometric checks and other documents to verify identity.
• Doctors and facilities must give patients a clear itemized bill within 30 days and cannot send bills to collections if they skip the itemized statement or if charges exceed a good faith estimate without documented justification.
• Federal premium help would flow into new Healthcare Affordability Accounts, health savings accounts people must open to receive their credit for 2027 through 2031. Money in these accounts cannot pay for gender transition procedures or abortion.