Press Releases

Thank you to our witnesses for being here today, and to you, Mr. Chairman, for calling this hearing.

Over a decade ago, Democrats transformed American health care with the Affordable Care Act. More Americans have health coverage than ever before, the 135 million Americans with pre-existing conditions have protections, women are no longer charged more than men, and this Committee’s premium tax credits put an average of $2400 a year back into families’ pockets.

Thanks to the investments and work of this Committee, Democrats in Congress, and President Biden, the 2023 open enrollment was the most successful in history. Over 16 million people enrolled in coverage through the marketplace. Absolutely life-changing, and the type of success we could only dream of when we made the ACA a pillar of our health.

Meanwhile, Republicans have doubled down on gutting the system, proposing draconian cuts, and stripping Americans of the coverage they rely on. Their latest attempt to take away Americans’ health care would put 21 million Americans on Medicaid at risk of losing their coverage. It has been 12 years, and we still haven’t seen a comprehensive health plan from Republicans, just repeat efforts to leave people sicker and poorer. We’ve heard a lot about how much they hate our successes, but no alternatives have been offered. So, while I can’t speak to their goals or their plans, I can see through the façade of this hearing.

Today, they are going to promote transparency along with health savings accounts and high-deductible health plans to promote consumer shopping as a way to lower health costs. But pushing even more burden onto consumers and expecting them to navigate red tape at a time of vulnerability only tilts the field against patients and will result in even more medical debt. Patients already have skin in the game when seeking medical care—it’s their own health!

This approach exacerbates disparities and contributes to the unsustainable medical debt that’s become all too pervasive throughout the country. And relying on transparency and shopping to solve our health care challenges has the potential to exacerbate inequities already endemic in our system.

We want what’s best for patients, and that means an accessible, affordable, and transparent health care system with robust protection for consumers. Democrats on this Committee have been approaching transparency from every angle over the last several years. We’ve pushed for better data collection to make more informed policy decisions for our nation’s seniors, and we’ve sought to better understand the impact of private equity in health care.

Back in 2021, we worked together to provide consumers with more transparency when we passed the No Surprises Act. Since 2021, hospitals have been required to publicly post standard charges and negotiated rates for the common health services and procedures.

This committee also led the charge with bipartisan efforts in drug price transparency. Another major push for transparency came out of the drug pricing provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act, where Democrats stood up to Big Pharma, and put an end to their profits over people. Insulin is now capped at $35 per month for seniors, and soon, Medicare will be able to negotiate on drug prices, giving our seniors the peace of mind of knowing what to expect when they visit the pharmacy.

We should not pretend, however, that transparency, shopping, and “the magic of the market” are going to fundamentally address coverage gaps, medical debt and cost burden, or health inequity. That is a false promise. Improvements in transparency may help around the margins for purchasers and regulators to better operate, but what consumers really need is access to affordable, dependable, and comprehensive coverage that won’t leave them high and dry in a time of need.

That’s what this Committee should be focused on. Republicans are so intent on serving big Pharma and powerful healthcare industry players that they are willing to accept a sicker, poorer, and more segmented America in return. That’s what you will see today.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.