{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://dustyjohnson.house.gov/media/press-releases/johnson-votes-lower-health-insurance-premiums-11", "Johnson Votes to Lower Health Insurance Premiums by 11%", "2025-12-18", "2025", "2025-12", "Republican", "House", "SD", "Dusty Johnson", "J000301", "dustyjohnson.house.gov", "dustyjohnson", "https://dustyjohnson.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "December 18, 2025\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) voted to pass the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act, which makes targeted reforms to health care costs.\n\n\u201cThe Affordable Care Act made health care unaffordable for the American family. Many families are paying more for their health insurance than they pay for their mortgage or rent,\u201d said Johnson. \u201cThe program has become riddled with waste, fraud, and abuse, which only drives prices higher for those trying to do right. The Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act will fix a broken system and provide more options for people who are struggling to make ends meet.\u201d\n\nThe Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act:\n\nLowers premium costs through cost-sharing reduction payments.\n\nAppropriates cost-sharing reduction payments to stabilize the broken system and individual market.\n\nLowers premium costs by 11 percent and reduces out-of-pocket costs like deductibles and copays.\n\nBrings pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) transparency and removes hidden costs of prescription drugs.\n\nRequires PBMs to provide employers with clear, detailed reporting on prescription drug spending, including rebates, pricing, and formulary decisions.\n\nProvides employers and employees with the transparency they deserve to help lower premium costs and improve access to prescription medications.\n\nAllows small business owners and independent workers to form association health plans.\n\nExpands access to Association Health Plans (AHPs) by allowing small employers and self-employed workers to band together across industries to access more options for more affordable, higher quality plans.\n\nStrengthens bargaining power for small business owners and independent workers by giving them access to group rates, more provider networks, and alternatives to costly small-group or individual marketplace plans.\n\nProvides more choices for employees to customize their health care plans.\n\nProtects small businesses from costly regulatory overreach.\n\nBackground:\n\nIn 2025, the average family paid $27,000 in health insurance premiums. These premiums are increasing 26% in 2026.\n\nBig insurance is making record profits. Their profits are 600% higher than when Obamacare became law.\n\nWaste, Fraud, and Abuse in Obamacare:\n\nA recent report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) showed significant risk of fraud exists with the premium tax credit.\n\nIn the course of GAO\u2019s investigation, 100% of fake applicants were approved in late 2024.\n\n18 out of 20 fake applicants are still receiving subsidized coverage for 2025.\n\nCMS approved coverage with no documents or with fake ones, including fake citizenship papers.\n\nOne Social Security Number was used on applications totaling over 125 insurance policies\u2014the equivalent of 71 years of subsidized coverage.\n\nIn 2024, 66,000 Social Security Numbers had more than one year\u2019s worth of subsidized coverage in a single year.\n\nIn 2024, health insurers received $94 million in taxpayer-funded subsidies for deceased individuals.\n\nIssues:Health", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://dustyjohnson.house.gov/media/press-releases/johnson-votes-lower-health-insurance-premiums-11"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5370759647339582, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}