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.

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
 1   Urging the Congress of the United States to retain expanded
 2      health insurance subsidies that enable consumers to purchase
 3      health insurance through Pennie.
 4      WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania General Assembly established Pennie
 5   in a bipartisan series of votes in 2019; and
 6      WHEREAS, Pennsylvanians can shop for health insurance through
 7   Pennie; and
 8      WHEREAS, During Pennie's first open enrollment period, which
 9   occurred during 2020, 337,772 Pennsylvanians enrolled in health
10   insurance coverage; and
11      WHEREAS, Nearly 500,000 Pennsylvanians enrolled in health
12   insurance coverage during Pennie's Open Enrollment 2025; and
13      WHEREAS, This enrollment increase is largely due to enhanced
14   financial assistance, known as expanded premium tax credits,
15   that became available to Pennie customers after Open Enrollment
16   2021; and
17      WHEREAS, Because the expanded premium tax credits are set to
18   expire on December 31, 2025, Pennie customers will see an
19   average 102% increase in the monthly cost for health insurance;
 1   and
 2         WHEREAS, The Affordable Care Act originally provided tax
 3   credits to individuals to purchase health insurance, so long as
 4   the individual was not eligible for affordable health insurance
 5   somewhere else, such as through an employer; and
 6         WHEREAS, The original Affordable Care Act tax credits are
 7   known as Advance Premium Tax Credits; and
 8         WHEREAS, The original Advance Premium Tax Credits were not
 9   available to individuals who made more than 400% of the Federal
10   poverty line; and
11         WHEREAS, This problem was known as the "subsidy cliff"; and
12         WHEREAS, For 2025, a couple making a combined $84,600 per
13   year is at 400% of the Federal poverty line and would be subject
14   to the subsidy cliff, meaning they would be responsible for
15   paying the full cost of their health insurance; and
16         WHEREAS, The monthly cost of the least expensive plan
17   available through Pennie to a 64-year-old nonsmoking couple that
18   makes $85,000 and lives in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, is $2,148;
19   and
20         WHEREAS, The subsidy cliff means that this couple would be
21   expected to pay $25,776 annually for health insurance, which is
22   nearly 31% of their household income; and
23         WHEREAS, In 2021, Congress enacted The American Rescue Plan
24   Act, which fixed the subsidy cliff and lowered health insurance
25   costs by providing for more generous, expanded premium tax
26   credits; and
27         WHEREAS, In 2022, Congress enacted the Inflation Reduction
28   Act, which provided that the expanded premium tax credits would
29   not expire until December 31, 2025; and
30         WHEREAS, Three-quarters of current Pennie customers have only

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 1   experienced coverage with lower health insurance costs due to
 2   the expanded premium tax credits; and
 3      WHEREAS, Unless Congress acts to extend the expanded premium
 4   tax credits, eligible Pennie customers will pay more for health
 5   insurance; and
 6      WHEREAS, Congress has not acted to extend the expanded
 7   premium tax credits; and
 8      WHEREAS, Pennie projects that average health insurance costs
 9   per-member per-month will increase as follows across
10   Pennsylvania:
11          (1)    Juniata County: +$367.
12          (2)    Schuylkill County: +$347.
13          (3)    Fulton County: +$336.
14          (4)    Lehigh County: +$330.
15          (5)    Northampton County: +$317.
16          (6)    Union County: +$316.
17          (7)    Carbon County: +$303.
18          (8)    Mifflin County: +$287.
19          (9)    Monroe County: +$284.
20          (10)     Snyder County: +$275.
21          (11)     Columbia County: +$272.
22          (12)     Montour County: +$272.
23          (13)     Northumberland County: +$265.
24          (14)     Franklin County: +$259.
25          (15)     Adams County: +$244.
26          (16)     Perry County: +$234.
27          (17)     York County: +$228.
28          (18)     Cumberland County: +$225.
29          (19)     Cameron County: +$229.
30          (20)     Dauphin County: +$207.

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 1        (21)   Lebanon County: +$206.
 2        (22)   Pike County: +$201.
 3        (23)   Tioga County: +$201.
 4        (24)   Forest County: +$184.
 5        (25)   Lancaster County: +$174.
 6        (26)   Warren County: +$168.
 7        (27)   Elk County: +$165.
 8        (28)   Lycoming County: +$160.
 9        (29)   Berks County: +$160.
10        (30)   Greene County: +$159.
11        (31)   Indiana County: +$159.
12        (32)   McKean County: +$156.
13        (33)   Somerset County: +$154.
14        (34)   Crawford County: +$149.
15        (35)   Clinton County: +$146.
16        (36)   Armstrong County: +$146.
17        (37)   Centre County: +$145.
18        (38)   Blair County: +$145.
19        (39)   Delaware County: +$144.
20        (40)   Butler County: +$140.
21        (41)   Montgomery County: +$140.
22        (42)   Venango County: +$137.
23        (43)   Beaver County: +$137.
24        (44)   Philadelphia County: +$137.
25        (45)   Washington County: +$134.
26        (46)   Potter County: +$134.
27        (47)   Bucks County: +$134.
28        (48)   Bedford County: +$133.
29        (49)   Erie County: +$129.
30        (50)   Lawrence County: +$126.

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 1             (51)   Chester County: +$126.
 2             (52)   Allegheny County: +$125.
 3             (53)   Mercer County: +$124.
 4             (54)   Lackawanna County: +$122.
 5             (55)   Clearfield County: +$118.
 6             (56)   Wyoming County: +$116.
 7             (57)   Luzerne County: +$116.
 8             (58)   Bradford County: +$109.
 9             (59)   Clarion County: +$100.
10             (60)   Huntingdon County: +$100.
11             (61)   Jefferson County: +$99.
12             (62)   Cambria County: +$98.
13             (63)   Westmoreland County: +$95.
14             (64)   Susquehanna County: +$94.
15             (65)   Fayette County: +$90.
16             (66)   Sullivan County: +$89.
17             (67)   Wayne County: +$81;
18   and
19         WHEREAS, Because of these increased costs, Pennie projects
20   that 150,000 customers may drop their health insurance coverage;
21   and
22         WHEREAS, Since the start of Open Enrollment 2026, Pennie has
23   seen a 16% decrease in new enrollees; and
24         WHEREAS, For every new enrollment during Open Enrollment
25   2026, 1.5 existing Pennie customers have terminated their Plan
26   Year 2026 coverage; and
27         WHEREAS, By extending the expanded premium tax credits,
28   Congress could reverse these coverage losses and ensure that
29   Pennsylvanians can continue to access affordable, quality health
30   insurance coverage; therefore be it

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1      RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
2   Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the Congress of the United
3   States to retain expanded health insurance subsidies that enable
4   consumers to purchase health insurance through Pennie; and be it
5   further
6      RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
7   the presiding officers of each house of Congress and each member
8   of Congress from Pennsylvania.




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