Rep. Lloyd Smucker (PA-11) has voted in favor of the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act (H.R. 6703), a bill aimed at reducing health care premiums and expanding options for Americans purchasing coverage.
In a statement following the vote, Rep. Smucker said, “The Democrats made empty promises to the American people a decade and a half ago. Their poorly named ‘Affordable’ Care Act has been anything but affordable for my constituents who purchase their health coverage from the marketplace. The Lower Health Care Premiums for All Act will do exactly what it says—reduce premiums for all Americans, not just those on the Obamacare marketplace, and give them more options when choosing their health care.”
According to an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office, the legislation is projected to reduce gross benchmark premiums by 11 percent.
The bill includes several provisions such as requiring pharmacy benefit managers to provide employers with detailed data on prescription drug spending and rebates. It also appropriates funding for cost sharing reduction payments starting in 2027, which is intended to lower premiums and stabilize the individual market.
Other measures in the act aim to improve health care options for workers by expanding access to Association Health Plans, clarifying that stop-loss insurance is not considered “health insurance coverage” so small businesses can offer more tailored plans, and codifying rules that allow employers to offer defined contributions—now called CHOICE arrangements—for employees purchasing their own coverage.
Rep. Smucker has represented Pennsylvania’s 11th district in Congress since 2017 after previously serving in the Pennsylvania Senate from 2009 to 2016. He was born in Lancaster County in 1964 and currently resides there.
