{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://kean.house.gov/media/press-releases/kean-joins-bipartisan-group-35-house-members-announcing-new-health-care", "Kean Joins Bipartisan Group of 35 House Members Announcing New Health Care Framework", "2025-12-04", "2025", "2025-12", "Republican", "House", "NJ", "Thomas H. Kean, Jr.", "K000398", "kean.house.gov", "kean", "https://kean.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Today, December 4, 2025, Congressman Tom Kean, Jr. (NJ-07) joined a bipartisan group of 35 total House Members, co-led by Reps. Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) and Jen Kiggans (VA-2), announcing a new health care framework, CommonGround 2025. The bipartisan framework includes a two-year extension of health insurance premium savings for American families, including a year of the enhanced Premium Tax Credits (ePTCs), with targeted modifications, to be voted on by December 18, 2025, in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.\n\nThe Members backing the framework have also co-signed a letter urging House and Senate leadership to meet with them to discuss the framework and a constructive pathway forward in both chambers.\n\n\u201cToday, I joined both Democrats and Republicans to advance a new, bipartisan framework to make healthcare more affordable for New Jersey families,\u201d said Congressman Tom Kean, Jr. \u201cOur CommonGround 2025 plan responsibly extends Premium Tax Credits and pairs them with targeted modifications, including PBM reform, guardrails against fraud, greater transparency, and other critical improvements.\n\n\u201cWe need to reduce health insurance premiums for every family and we need to hold accountable drug-pricing middlemen and fraudsters who are abusing our health care system,\u201d Kean continued. \u201cThrough bipartisan action, I am fighting for the people of New Jersey and driving forward a solution that Congress can deliver now.\u201d\n\nThe framework and letter, co-led by Reps. Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) and Jen Kiggans (VA-2), are also co-signed by Reps. Adam Gray (CA-13), Juan Ciscomani (AZ-6), Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34), Maria Salazar (FL-27), Darren Soto (FL-9), Mike Lawler (NY-17), Jim Costa (CA-21), Jefferson Van Drew (NJ-2), Josh Riley (NY-19), Tom Kean, Jr. (NJ-7), Susie Lee (NV-3), Jeff Hurd (CO-3), Jared Golden (ME-2), David Valadao (CA-22), Chris Pappas (NH-1), Ryan MacKenzie (PA-7), Ed Case (HI-1), Carlos Gimenez (FL-28), Maggie Goodlander (NH-2), Monica De La Cruz (TX-15), Sam Liccardo (CA-16), Robert Bresnahan (PA-8), Greg Landsman (OH-1), Don Bacon (NE-2), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Kevin Kiley (CA-3), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Nick LaLota (NY-1), Don Davis (NC-1), Scott Peters (CA-50), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-3), Hillary Scholten (MI-3), and Tom Suozzi (NY-3).\n\nFind the CommonGround 2025 framework here and the bill text here. Find the letter to House and Senate leadership here.\n\nTop-line Summary.\n\nTwo-year extension of health insurance premium savings for American families \u2014 including a year of the enhanced Premium Tax Credits (ePTCs), with targeted modifications, to be voted on by December 18, 2025, in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.\n\nYear One: An extension of the ePTCs, with targeted modifications.\n\nExtension of the ePTCs for enrollees earning less than 600% of the federal poverty level (FPL) and a phase out of the ePTCs for enrollees earning between 600% FPL and 1000% FPL.\n\nNew guardrails to prevent \u201cghost beneficiaries\u201d and crack down on fraud, including:\n\nImplementing the Insurance Fraud Accountability Act to crack down on civil & criminal penalties for fraudulent agents / brokers;\n\nCodifying part of CMS\u2019s marketplace integrity rule to remove bad actors from ACA marketplaces;\n\nDirecting ACA marketplaces to regularly confirm enrollee eligibility with the Death Master File; and,\n\nRequiring marketplaces to better notify recipients of the amount of PTCs they are receiving from the federal government.\n\nExtension of open enrollment until March 19, 2026, and requiring HHS to notify qualified individuals of the extension of open enrollment.\n\nPBM reform (provisions included in the bipartisan Continuing Resolution from December 2024 and featured in the PBM Reform Act and Bipartisan Health Care Act) which:\n\nBans \u201cspread pricing\u201d in Medicaid.\n\nReforms Medicare Part D by delinking PBM compensation from the cost of medications.\n\nPromotes transparency for both employers and patients in their prescription drug plans.\n\nYear Two: Continued health insurance premium savings, including more significant reforms, agreed upon and voted on in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives by July 1, 2026.\n\nReforms for consideration:\n\nOption for consideration: Medicare physician fee schedule (from December 2024 CR).\n\nBoosts the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule.\n\nOption for consideration: Hospital billing transparency.\n\nRequires hospitals to disclose prices, including negotiated rates and cash prices.\n\nOption for consideration: Give Kids A Chance Act (from December 2024 CR).\n\nAccelerates pediatric cancer treatments and expands access to life-saving therapies for children battling rare diseases.\n\nOption for consideration: Elimination of zero-dollar premiums with minimum monthly payments, but with need-based hardship support for those who cannot afford this payment.\n\nOption for consideration: HSA Accounts (Sen. Cassidy proposal).\n\nShifts funding that would have paid for the ePTCs to HSA accounts.\n\nPotential Pay-fors.\n\nAnti-Fraud provisions of IFAA, HOPE Act: not yet scored, but substantial.\n\nPBM reforms: as delineated in the December 2024 CR.\n\n###", 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://kean.house.gov/media/press-releases/kean-joins-bipartisan-group-35-house-members-announcing-new-health-care"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.8828860484063625, "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"}