Pennsylvania HR 382: A Resolution urging the Congress of the United States to retain expanded health insurance subsidies that enable consumers to purchase health insurance through Pennie.

Bill Text

PRINTER'S NO. 2702
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. 382
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY BELLMON, DECEMBER 15, 2025
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, DECEMBER 15, 2025
A RESOLUTION
Urging the Congress of the United States to retain expanded
health insurance subsidies that enable consumers to purchase
health insurance through Pennie.
WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania General Assembly established Pennie
in a bipartisan series of votes in 2019; and
WHEREAS, Pennsylvanians can shop for health insurance through
Pennie; and
WHEREAS, During Pennie's first open enrollment period, which
occurred during 2020, 337,772 Pennsylvanians enrolled in health
insurance coverage; and
WHEREAS, Nearly 500,000 Pennsylvanians enrolled in health
insurance coverage during Pennie's Open Enrollment 2025; and
WHEREAS, This enrollment increase is largely due to enhanced
financial assistance, known as expanded premium tax credits,
that became available to Pennie customers after Open Enrollment
2021; and
WHEREAS, Because the expanded premium tax credits are set to
expire on December 31, 2025, Pennie customers will see an
average 102% increase in the monthly cost for health insurance;
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and
WHEREAS, The Affordable Care Act originally provided tax
credits to individuals to purchase health insurance, so long as
the individual was not eligible for affordable health insurance
somewhere else, such as through an employer; and
WHEREAS, The original Affordable Care Act tax credits are
known as Advance Premium Tax Credits; and
WHEREAS, The original Advance Premium Tax Credits were not
available to individuals who made more than 400% of the Federal
poverty line; and
WHEREAS, This problem was known as the "subsidy cliff"; and
WHEREAS, For 2025, a couple making a combined $84,600 per
year is at 400% of the Federal poverty line and would be subject
to the subsidy cliff, meaning they would be responsible for
paying the full cost of their health insurance; and
WHEREAS, The monthly cost of the least expensive plan
available through Pennie to a 64-year-old nonsmoking couple that
makes $85,000 and lives in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, is $2,148;
and
WHEREAS, The subsidy cliff means that this couple would be
expected to pay $25,776 annually for health insurance, which is
nearly 31% of their household income; and
WHEREAS, In 2021, Congress enacted The American Rescue Plan
Act, which fixed the subsidy cliff and lowered health insurance
costs by providing for more generous, expanded premium tax
credits; and
WHEREAS, In 2022, Congress enacted the Inflation Reduction
Act, which provided that the expanded premium tax credits would
not expire until December 31, 2025; and
WHEREAS, Three-quarters of current Pennie customers have only
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experienced coverage with lower health insurance costs due to
the expanded premium tax credits; and
WHEREAS, Unless Congress acts to extend the expanded premium
tax credits, eligible Pennie customers will pay more for health
insurance; and
WHEREAS, Congress has not acted to extend the expanded
premium tax credits; and
WHEREAS, Pennie projects that average health insurance costs
per-member per-month will increase as follows across
Pennsylvania:
(1) Juniata County: +$367.
(2) Schuylkill County: +$347.
(3) Fulton County: +$336.
(4) Lehigh County: +$330.
(5) Northampton County: +$317.
(6) Union County: +$316.
(7) Carbon County: +$303.
(8) Mifflin County: +$287.
(9) Monroe County: +$284.
(10) Snyder County: +$275.
(11) Columbia County: +$272.
(12) Montour County: +$272.
(13) Northumberland County: +$265.
(14) Franklin County: +$259.
(15) Adams County: +$244.
(16) Perry County: +$234.
(17) York County: +$228.
(18) Cumberland County: +$225.
(19) Cameron County: +$229.
(20) Dauphin County: +$207.
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(21) Lebanon County: +$206.
(22) Pike County: +$201.
(23) Tioga County: +$201.
(24) Forest County: +$184.
(25) Lancaster County: +$174.
(26) Warren County: +$168.
(27) Elk County: +$165.
(28) Lycoming County: +$160.
(29) Berks County: +$160.
(30) Greene County: +$159.
(31) Indiana County: +$159.
(32) McKean County: +$156.
(33) Somerset County: +$154.
(34) Crawford County: +$149.
(35) Clinton County: +$146.
(36) Armstrong County: +$146.
(37) Centre County: +$145.
(38) Blair County: +$145.
(39) Delaware County: +$144.
(40) Butler County: +$140.
(41) Montgomery County: +$140.
(42) Venango County: +$137.
(43) Beaver County: +$137.
(44) Philadelphia County: +$137.
(45) Washington County: +$134.
(46) Potter County: +$134.
(47) Bucks County: +$134.
(48) Bedford County: +$133.
(49) Erie County: +$129.
(50) Lawrence County: +$126.
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(51) Chester County: +$126.
(52) Allegheny County: +$125.
(53) M