Rep. Underwood Delivers for the 14th with Passage of Legislation to Lower Health Care Premiums

ST. CHARLES, IL — The U.S. House of Representatives voted Monday evening to approve the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act. The legislation, approved with bipartisan support, would expand access to high-quality, affordable health care for northern Illinois families while shoring up health care protections for all Americans in the face of the Trump Administration’s continued assaults on the Affordable Care Act.

Rep. Underwood’s Health Care Affordability Act, one piece of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act, limits the cost of health care premiums for working families. The legislation, crafted in direct response to concerns raised by Underwood’s constituents, would limit the cost of health care premiums to eight and a half percent of a family’s income. For example, a family of four with an annual income of $60,000 would save an additional $2,000 annually on health care premiums.

“I ran for Congress to ensure every family in my community has access to the high-quality, affordable health care they deserve, and I’m so pleased to make good on our promise to lower health care costs,” Rep. Underwood said. “But we have to keep up the fight. On Friday, the Trump Administration asked the Supreme Court to invalidate health care protections for the 130 million Americans with pre-existing conditions — during a pandemic. I know this is an issue of life and death, and I won’t back down.”

Since her 2018 election, Underwood, a registered nurse and public health expert, has made health care her top priority in Congress. Rep. Underwood’s bipartisan Lower Insulin Costs Now Act was signed into law in December to accelerate the availability of lower-cost, generic insulin.