The four Republicans representing Iowa in the U.S. House have voted for a bill designed to lower health insurance premiums and require new price disclosure from the companies that manage prescription drug benefits.
Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Ottumwa was the bill’s lead sponsor. “Republicans want to lower health care costs and premiums for all Americans — all of the Americans on commercial insurance, all of the small businesses, all of the people on the ACA insurance exchanges and all of the self-insured,” Miller-Meeks said, “not just a select few and not subsidizing profitable insurance companies.”
Four other Republicans from Pennsylvania and New York joined House Democrats to try to force a House vote within the next few weeks on extending the tax credits established in 2021 that about 7% of Americans used to buy insurance this year. Miller-Meeks presented her bill as an alternative to that. “Republicans want to lower health care costs for American, for everyone — not just a select few and they don’t want to just continue the corrupt gravy train of subsidies to profitable insurance companies,” Miller-Meeks said.
Iowa Democratic Party chair Rita Hart said the bill “does nothing to solve” the premium price hikes over 100,000 Iowans face once Affordable Care Act subsidies for households with incomes above 400% of the poverty level expire December 31.
Republican Congressman Randy Feenstra of Hull said the House GOP’s bill addresses the “root cause of costly health care” and would bring prices down. Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, a Republican from Marion, said the bill is “a good step to lower health care costs” and require “long overdue transparency” from pharmacy benefit managers. Republican Congressman Zach Nunn of Ankeny said ObamaCare subsidies “should not be used” by people making over $100,000 a year and the bill House Republicans passed would bring down insurance costs for every Iowan.