This bill seeks to overturn a rule issued by the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection that would have removed previous restrictions on how medical debt is collected. It directly affects medical debt collectors and consumers by attempting to reinstate earlier regulations that prohibited deceptive and unfair collection practices. The legislation uses a congressional disapproval process to declare the new rule invalid, meaning the previous protections for medical debt collectors would remain in place. If passed, this action would prevent the Bureau from withdrawing the existing guidelines on medical debt collection.
Lower Health Care Costs Act This bill extends for three years, through 2028, temporary changes enacted by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) that generally expand eligibility for and increase the amount of the premium tax credit. Currently, eligible taxpayers may be able to claim the premium tax credit, which applies toward the cost of obtaining health insurance through health insurance exchanges. To be eligible for the premium tax credit, a taxpayer’s household income must meet or exceed 100% of the federal poverty level (FPL) and, after 2025, may not exceed 400% of the FPL (maximum income limit). For 2021-2025, the ARPA and IRA eliminated the maximum income limit, which generally expands eligibility for the premium tax credit. Further, under current law, the amount of the premium tax credit is (1) generally the plan premium (conditions apply), minus (2) the taxpayer’s household income multiplied by the applicable percentage. The applicable percentage is a specific percentage that varies depending on which of six income ranges (adjusted for inflation after 2025) the taxpayer’s household income falls within. For 2021-2025, the ARPA and IRA lowered the applicable percentages and eliminated the adjustment of the applicable percentages for inflation, which generally increases the amount of the premium tax credit. The bill extends for three years, through 2028, the elimination of the 400% maximum income limit, the lower applicable percentages, and the elimination of the inflation adjustment for the applicable percentages.
Health Care Freedom for Patients Act of 2025 This bill allows certain individuals with health savings accounts (HSAs) to receive federal payments. It also restricts payments under Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) regarding certain noncitizens and restricts coverage of gender-transition procedures. Specifically, the bill provides funds for the Department of Health and Human Services to deposit payments into an individual’s HSA during 2026-2027 if the individual has a bronze or catastrophic plan through a health insurance exchange, is between the ages of 18 and 64, and has income up to 700% of the federal poverty level (FPL). Individuals may receive $1,000 or $1,500 annually, depending on age. The bill also provides funds, beginning in 2027, for cost-sharing reductions for certain individuals who have a silver plan and income up to 250% of the FPL. Beginning in 2027, the bill allows any individual to enroll in a catastrophic plan. Currently, these plans are limited to those under the age of 30 or who have certain exemptions. The bill also reduces the enhanced federal matching rate for the Medicaid expansion population in states that provide any health benefits for individuals who are not qualified aliens under federal law. The bill makes Medicaid and CHIP coverage of individuals while their status is being verified optional and conditions federal payment during this period on verification. Finally, the bill prohibits exchange plans from covering gender-transition procedures as an essential health benefit and prohibits federal payment under Medicaid and CHIP for these procedures.
This bill provides continuing appropriations for federal government operations through October 31, 2025, ensuring that agencies can maintain essential services without interruption. It authorizes funding for departments including Defense, Health and Human Services, Veterans Affairs, and Transportation, while extending specific programs like community health centers, Medicare services, and veterans' benefits. Key provisions include maintaining funding levels for existing programs, extending deadlines for various health and human services initiatives through October 2025, and providing specific amounts for programs like the WIC food assistance program. The bill also includes numerous extensions for programs that would otherwise expire, such as the National Health Service Corps and certain Medicare payment adjustments. This continuing resolution prevents government shutdowns by providing temporary funding until a full fiscal year 2026 appropriations bill can be enacted.
Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act or the HALT Fentanyl Act This act permanently places fentanyl-related substances as a class into schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. A schedule I controlled substance is a drug, substance, or chemical that has a high potential for abuse; has no currently accepted medical value; and is subject to regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal penalties under the Controlled Substances Act. Under the act, offenses involving fentanyl-related substances are triggered by the same quantity thresholds and subject to the same penalties as offenses involving fentanyl analogues (e.g., offenses involving 100 grams or more trigger a 10-year mandatory minimum prison term). Additionally, the act establishes a new, alternative registration process for certain schedule I research. The act also makes several other changes to registration requirements for conducting research with controlled substances, including permitting a single registration for related research sites in certain circumstances, waiving the requirement for a new inspection in certain situations, and allowing a registered researcher to perform certain manufacturing activities with small quantities of a substance without obtaining a manufacturing registration. Finally, the act expresses the sense that Congress agrees with the interpretation of the Controlled Substances Act in United States v. McCray , a 2018 case decided by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York. In that case, the court held that butyryl fentanyl, a controlled substance, can be considered an analogue of fentanyl even though, under the Controlled Substances Act, the term controlled substance analogue specifically excludes a controlled substance.
