Barrett Launches Third Pillar of Blueprint for a Better America to Make Health Care Affordable Again

Washington, D.C. -Congressman Tom Barrett (MI-07) today launched the third pillar of his Blueprint for a Better America: Making Health Care Affordable Again. The six-bill package will lower health care costs by forcing insurance companies to prioritize patients' care instead of profits, cracking down on fraud, expanding access to insurance options and health savings accounts, and lowering the cost of prescription drugs.

"Sadly our healthcare system has allowed big insurance companies to get richer while Americans get sicker. Families are struggling to pay ever-increasing premiums while more claims are denied and out-of-pocket costs go up," said Barrett."My Blueprint for a Better America will put patient needs ahead of corporate interests and profits, crack down on runaway insurance fraud, lower prescription drug prices by forcing other developed nations to pay their fair share of research and development costs, and expand access to tax-exempt health savings accounts and flexible insurance options."

Barrett's announcement today includes the introduction of three new pieces of legislation:

• The Care Over Profits Act of 2026 (H.R. 7861)to require insurance companies to use more of the money paid in premiums to cover medical claims, not overhead and corporate profits. Specifically, it increases the required Medical Loss Ratio to force insurers to spend at least 85% of premium revenue on actual medical care and quality improvement. Additionally, the bill would impose penalties on agents and brokers who fraudulently create or modify Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace plans without the consent of the patient. Brokers and agents are often incentivized to enroll individuals into heavily subsidized plans, and the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) found evidencethat at least 160,000 applications to open or change an ACA plan in 2024 were made without patients' full knowledge or consent.
• The Stop ACA Enrollment Fraud Act (H.R. 7860)to crack down on insurance plan fraud by prohibiting the opening of multiple ACA plans using the same Social Security number and requiring the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to make sure every patient consents to enrolling in or modifying a health plan. The bill comes after a GAO audit foundthat nearly 66,000 Social Security numbers were used on multiple ACA plans in 2024, with one number enrolledin at least 125 policies.
• The HSAs for All Act (H.R. 7681)to help more families save for their health care by expanding access to tax-free health savings accounts (HSAs). The bill would allow anyone enrolled in health insurance on the ACA marketplace or through an employer to open an HSA, instead of limiting the option to patients with high-deductible insurance policies.

Barrett also co-sponsored the following bills as part of this package:

• The Global Fairness in Drug Pricing Act (H.R. 3493)to lower prescription drug prices by codifying President Donald Trump's "most favored nation" executive order to ensure American patients pay prices comparable to those paid by other countries. Often Americans pay a much higher drug cost that allows manufacturers to recoup research and development expenses. The bill would require drugs to be priced similarly to other developed nations while still protecting innovation and new development. It would also make it easier for patients to buy their prescriptions directly from manufacturers and save money.
• The Stop Penalizing Working Seniors Act (H.R. 6577)to help working seniors afford health care by allowing them to continue making tax-free HSA contributions after enrolling in Medicare Part A.
• The Health Care and Freedom and Choice Act (H.R. 379)to increase access to flexible stopgap health insurance for patients in a transition between jobs or experiencing other difficulties. The bill would allow patients to keep a short-term, limited-duration health plan for up to three years if necessary. A Biden-era rule prevented people from renewing a plan beyond four months.

BACKGROUND:

Insurance agents and brokers are often paid based on the number of plans they open and keep open, which creates an incentive to enroll and re-enroll as many accounts as possible. In addition to the GAO findings of plans enrolled without patient consent, the high volume of plans with no claims filed also points to likely fraud. In 2024, 11.7 million plans- more than one-third of the ACA marketplace - had no claims filed. Many of these plans are heavily subsidized by taxpayers, which directly benefit insurance companies even more due to the fraudulent plans.

About Barrett's Blueprint for a Better America:

• Restoring Trust in Government: Making Government Serve the People, Not Special Interests
• Reviving the American Dream:Helping Families Afford Homes in Mid-Michigan
• Making Health Care Affordable Again:Lowering Costs for Working Families
• Recalibrating American Foreign Policy:Ending Endless Wars and Promoting Peace Through Strength
• Reforming Campaign Finance: Putting Governing Before Campaigning