{"format":1,"id":"119-hr-6703","congress":119,"number":"H.R. 6703","kind":"bill","group":"bills","title":"Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act","title_source":"Short Title(s) as Passed House","official_title":"To ensure access to affordable health insurance.","titles":[{"type":"Official Title as Introduced","title":"To ensure access to affordable health insurance."},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Passed House","title":"Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act"},{"type":"Display Title","title":"Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Introduced","title":"Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act"}],"outcome":"passed_house","law_number":null,"introduced":"2025-12-15","chambers":{"house":{"status":"roll_call","date":"2025-12-17","vote":{"id":"119-2025-h349","question":"On Passage","title":"Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act","result":"Passed","yea":216,"nay":211,"present":0,"not_voting":6,"source":"https://clerk.house.gov/evs/2025/roll349.xml"}},"senate":{"status":"pending","date":null,"vote":null}},"president":{"status":"not_yet","date":null},"vice_president_tie_breaker":null,"latest_action":{"text":"Received in the Senate.","date":"2025-12-18"},"nominees":null,"amendments":[],"other_votes":[{"chamber":"house","date":"2025-12-17","question":"On Motion to Recommit","title":"Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act","result":"Failed","yea":210,"nay":218,"present":0,"not_voting":5,"kind":"procedural","source":"https://clerk.house.gov/evs/2025/roll348.xml"}],"crs_summary":null,"summary":{"main_subject":{"text":"Amends federal health coverage laws to allow employer association health plans, change the treatment of stop-loss insurance and health reimbursement arrangements, require pharmacy benefit management reporting to group health plans, and fund cost-sharing reduction payments.","cites":[{"label":"Sec. 101","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6703/text/ih#H268763CFEFEB4B50BC4CF84D4C6DBB27"},{"label":"Sec. 102","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6703/text/ih#H53BF37A6C5C64F0082BC60B4F76FB1F6"},{"label":"Sec. 103","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6703/text/ih#H57CFE42505A64245A77D0C81C5F324CE"},{"label":"Sec. 201","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6703/text/ih#H8E58784EF9154FF7A5E3743078DBBE64"},{"label":"Sec. 202","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6703/text/ih#HB221A17AEAD04B1AAC1246398F8E8DE1"}]},"core_areas":["Association health plans for groups of employers","Medical stop-loss insurance for self-insured group health plans","Health reimbursement arrangements paired with individual market coverage","Pharmacy benefit management reporting to group health plans","Funding of cost-sharing reduction payments under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act"],"what_it_does":[{"text":"Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to let a group or association of employers maintain a group health plan, whether or not its members share an industry, trade or profession, if it meets listed requirements such as existing at least 2 years and offering coverage to at least 51 employees.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 101","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6703/text/ih#H268763CFEFEB4B50BC4CF84D4C6DBB27"}},{"text":"Bars association health plans from basing eligibility or premiums on health status-related factors and from denying coverage because of a pre-existing condition.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 101","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6703/text/ih#H268763CFEFEB4B50BC4CF84D4C6DBB27"}},{"text":"Provides that the definition of health insurance coverage does not include a stop-loss policy obtained by a self-insured group health plan or its sponsor to reimburse losses above a predetermined level.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 102","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6703/text/ih#H53BF37A6C5C64F0082BC60B4F76FB1F6"}},{"text":"Provides that the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 preempts State laws that prevent a group health plan from insuring against the risk of excess or unexpected claims losses.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 102","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6703/text/ih#H53BF37A6C5C64F0082BC60B4F76FB1F6"}},{"text":"Defines a custom health option and individual care expense arrangement as an employer-funded health reimbursement arrangement that pays for medical care only while the individual has individual market coverage or Medicare, and treats it as meeting certain group health plan requirements, for plan years beginning after December 31, 2025.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 103","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6703/text/ih#H57CFE42505A64245A77D0C81C5F324CE"}},{"text":"Requires entities providing pharmacy benefit management services to submit reports to group health plans at least every 6 months, covering drug payments, rebates, fees and other remuneration, for plan years beginning 30 months after enactment.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 201","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6703/text/ih#H8E58784EF9154FF7A5E3743078DBBE64"}},{"text":"Sets a civil monetary penalty of $10,000 for each day a required report or disclosure is not provided, and a penalty of up to $100,000 for each item of false information.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 201","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6703/text/ih#H8E58784EF9154FF7A5E3743078DBBE64"}},{"text":"Requires a group health plan, on request, to give a participant or beneficiary a summary document and claims-level information about the participant's own claims from the pharmacy benefit management reports.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 201","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6703/text/ih#H8E58784EF9154FF7A5E3743078DBBE64"}},{"text":"Appropriates such sums as may be necessary for cost-sharing reduction payments under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2027, and bars use of the funds for qualified health plans that cover abortion, except to save the mother's life or in cases of rape or incest.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 202","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6703/text/ih#HB221A17AEAD04B1AAC1246398F8E8DE1"}}],"unexpected":[{"category":"selective_carve_out","items":[{"cite":{"label":"Sec. 202","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6703/text/ih#HB221A17AEAD04B1AAC1246398F8E8DE1"},"heading":"Funding cost sharing reduction payments","effect":"Appropriates such sums as may be necessary for cost-sharing reduction payments for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2027, but bars use of the funds for qualified health plans that cover abortion, except where needed to save the mother's life or where the pregnancy results from rape or incest.","amount":null,"quote":"The amounts appropriated under paragraph (1) may not be used for purposes of making payments under this section for a qualified health plan that provides health benefit coverage that includes coverage of abortion."},{"cite":{"label":"Sec. 201","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6703/text/ih#H8E58784EF9154FF7A5E3743078DBBE64"},"heading":"Oversight of pharmacy benefit management services","effect":"Within the pharmacy benefit reporting rules, directs the Secretary to define a limited form of the required report for group health plans whose sponsor is, or is affiliated with, a drug manufacturer, wholesaler, or other drug supply chain participant.","amount":null,"quote":"a limited form of the report under paragraph (1) required with respect to any group health plan established by a plan sponsor that is, or is affiliated with, a drug manufacturer"},{"cite":{"label":"Sec. 103","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6703/text/ih#H57CFE42505A64245A77D0C81C5F324CE"},"heading":"Treatment of health reimbursement arrangements integrated with individual market coverage","effect":"Amends the Internal Revenue Code's cafeteria plan rules so that the existing restriction on buying Exchange insurance under a cafeteria plan does not apply to employees participating in a custom health option and individual care expense (CHOICE) arrangement.","amount":null,"quote":"Subparagraph (A) shall not apply in the case of an employee participating in a custom health option and individual care expense arrangement"}]}],"version":{"type":"Introduced in House","date":"2025-12-15","rule":"nearest","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6703/text/ih"},"current":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","approved":"2026-10-12","approved_by":"checks"},"sources":{"congress_gov":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6703","text":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6703/text"},"card":{"image":"card/item/119-hr-6703.png","v":"76ff43c2931c","alt":"Votes on Record. H.R. 6703, 119th Congress: Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act. House: 216 Yea, 211 Nay. Senate: not yet considered. Outcome: Passed House, 17 Dec 2025."}}