{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://gabeevans.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-gabe-evans-supports-house-republican-plan-lower-health-care-costs", "Congressman Gabe Evans Supports House Republican Plan to Lower Health Care Costs for All Americans", "2025-12-17", "2025", "2025-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Gabe Evans", "E000300", "gabeevans.house.gov", "gabeevans", "https://gabeevans.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Today Congressman Gabe Evans (R-CO-08) voted in favor of H.R. 6703 the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act, comprehensive legislation that lowers health care premiums, expands health care access and choice, and brings transparency to America\u2019s broken health care system.\n\n\"State and Federal Democrats broke the American healthcare system \u2014 driving up costs for working families and limiting access to affordable health plans while states like Colorado began taking your tax money and paying for healthcare to individuals illegally present in the country. This Republican-led, solution-oriented bill builds on the progress made in the Working Families Tax Cut by putting patients and families first and expanding affordable and reliable healthcare access for all Americans.\u201d \u2014 Congressman Gabe Evans\n\nLowering Premiums and Prescription Drug Costs\n\nThe Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act takes direct aim at rising premiums by:\n\nIncreasing transparency from pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) so employers and workers can see where prescription drug dollars are going and negotiate better prices.\n\nFunding cost-sharing reduction payments responsibly, reducing hidden premium increases and stabilizing the individual insurance market.\n\nLowering ACA premiums by an estimated 11 percent, delivering greater savings than temporary subsidy extensions.\n\nThese reforms are projected to save taxpayers billions of dollars, while reducing out-of-pocket costs for patients and workers.\n\nExpanding Affordable Options for Workers, Farmers, and Small Businesses\n\nThe Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act directly addresses the causes of rising health care costs by promoting competition, transparency, and flexibility \u2013 especially for workers, farmers, small businesses, and the self-employed. The legislation also expands access to affordable coverage by:\n\nStrengthening Association Health Plans, allowing small businesses, family farms, and self-employed workers to band together to purchase lower-cost, high-quality coverage.\n\nProtecting access to stop-loss insurance, ensuring employers can continue offering customizable coverage without facing catastrophic financial risk.\n\nExpanding CHOICE (Custom health option and individual care expense) arrangements, enabling employers to contribute pre-tax dollars toward employees\u2019 individual health plans and giving workers more flexibility to choose coverage that fits their needs.\n\nMore than 80% of employers using CHOICE arrangements are offering health benefits for the first time, a major step toward expanding coverage without mandates.\n\nBackground:\n\nFor nearly 15 years, Democrats\u2019 Unaffordable Care Act has failed to deliver affordable, accessible health care for American Families. Instead of lowering costs and expanding choice, Democrat-led policies have driven up premiums, narrowed provider networks, and forced working families, farmers and small businesses to pay more for far less coverage \u2013 all while diverting limited health care resources away from Americans who need them the most.\n\nRather than fixing these failures, Democrats have doubled down on policies that prioritize individuals who are in the country illegally over U.S. citizens and lawful residents. In Colorado, Democrat lawmakers have gone even further, by expanding state supported health care access and subsidies to individuals regardless of their immigration status, increasing costs across the system for American families.\n\nColorado\u2019s Expansion of Health Coverage for Illegal Immigrants:\n\nColorado currently provides health coverage to individuals who are illegally present in the U.S. According to the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), immigration status determines eligibility for multiple public and state-facilitated health programs, and individuals without lawful status qualify for several forms of government supported coverage.\n\nThrough the OmniSalud program, undocumented immigrants and DACA recipients are allowed to enroll in health insurance plans through the state exchange, regardless of legal status. Under a 2021 Democrat passed law, insurance companies in Colorado are required to offer Colorado option plans \u2013 which are standardized plans with state mandated benefits and price controls \u2013 to all residents, including those in the country illegally. These plans are paired with state funded subsidies, such as SilverEnhanced Savings, which cover premiums and a significant share of out-of-pocket cost for undocumented enrollees.\n\nWhile these subsidies are described as \u201cstate-funded,\u201d they are financed through fees imposed on insurance companies \u2013 costs that are ultimately passed on to American families in the form of higher premiums.\n\nDemocrat Driven Expansion of Government Health Programs:\n\nBeginning January 1, 2025, Colorado Democrats further expanded taxpayer funded, medicaid-style coverage though Colorado House Bill 22-1289, also known as \u201cCover All Coloradans.\u201d Allowing children and pregnant women to receive full Health First Colorado\n\n(Medicaid) or Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) benefits regardless of immigration status. The state also provides Emergency Medicaid Services to individuals regardless of their legal status.\n\nThe State of Colorado publicly promotes these programs as providing access to care, \u201cregardless of immigration status,\u201d even as American families face rising premiums, higher deductibles, and fewer affordable coverage options.\n\nHigher Cost, Fewer Choices for Americans:\n\nIn 2025 alone, more than 12,000 undocumented immigrants received fully subsidized health insurance through Colorado\u2019s OmniSalud program. Demand for these subsidies far exceeded available funding, forcing the state to ration benefits though a lottery system \u2013 a clear sign that Democrat policies are unsustainable and misaligned with the needs of American citizens.\n\nAs more resources are directed toward covering illegal immigrants, premiums rise, competition shrinks, and hard working Americans are left footing the bill.\n\nPutting Americans First:\n\nThe Lower Health Care for All Americans Act represents a clear break from failed Democratic policies. House Republicans are focused on restoring integrity to the healthcare system, lowering premiums, increasing transparency, and ensuring that taxpayer dollars are used to benefit American families \u2013 not to subsidize coverage for those who should not be here.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "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://gabeevans.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-gabe-evans-supports-house-republican-plan-lower-health-care-costs"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5377679374068975, "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"}