5th District Congresswoman Jahana Hayes has voted to pass the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Enhancement Act.  She says it builds on the Affordable Care Act to lower health costs and prescription drug prices.  The bill increases the ACA’s affordability subsidies to be more generous and cover more families. 

For the first time, no person will have to pay more than 8.5 percent of their income for a benchmark silver plan in the ACA marketplaces, and Hayes says many Americans will see their premiums cut in half or more. 

The bill negotiates for lower prescription drug prices, delivering the power to negotiate--which Hayes says will mean people in Connecticut no longer have to pay more than people pay for the same drugs overseas. 

According to a new report from Patients for Affordable Drugs, from January to June, 245 drugs were subject to an average price increase of more than 20 percent.  More than 75 percent of increased drug prices directly relate to the COVID-19 crisis, including 30 drugs that are currently in clinical trials for their effect against the virus. The bill also cracks down on so-called junk plans and strengthens protections for people with pre-existing conditions, helping to ensure that health plans contain essential medical treatments and drugs and are not allowed to discriminate against people with pre-existing medical conditions.