U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Mike Crapo, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, have introduced the Health Care Freedom for Patients Act. The legislation is intended to lower health care costs and provide direct financial support to families so they can manage their own health care expenses.
The bill proposes that funds go directly to patients instead of insurance companies. Americans with affordable bronze and catastrophic insurance plans would receive these funds in a Health Savings Account (HSA). According to the proposal, these funds cannot be used for abortion or gender transition procedures.
“Instead of 100% of this money going to insurance companies, let’s give it to patients. By giving them an account that they control, we give them the power. We make health care affordable again,” said Dr. Cassidy.
Senator Crapo added: “Giving billions of taxpayer dollars to insurers is not working to reduce health insurance premiums for patients. We need to give Americans more control over their own health care decisions. This bill builds on the work we did in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act and will help Americans manage the rising cost of health care without driving costs even higher.”
Key provisions include reducing insurance premiums by 11 percent through funding cost-sharing reduction payments and increasing access to low-cost catastrophic plans. The legislation also requires states to verify citizenship and immigration status before granting Medicaid coverage, aiming to prevent illegal immigrants from accessing Medicaid benefits. Additionally, it seeks to prohibit taxpayer funding for gender transition services under Medicaid and exclude such services as essential health benefits on Affordable Care Act exchanges.
Supporters say this approach follows previous efforts such as expanding HSA eligibility through the Working Families Tax Cut and aligns with former President Trump’s call for patient-centered reforms.
Republican lawmakers argue that current Democratic policies—specifically temporary COVID-related subsidies—send substantial public funds to insurance companies without lowering premiums for consumers. They note that only a small portion of premium increases expected in 2026 are linked to the expiration of these subsidies.
For further details about the proposed legislation or related updates from HELP Republicans, information is available on their official website or Twitter account @GOPHELP.
