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Mr. BUDD. Mr. Speaker, when Congress passed the Affordable Care Act in 2010, President Obama made a famous promise: that the American people would be able to keep the plans they liked while paying less for health insurance. But, Mr. Speaker, that famous promise was false, and ObamaCare's consequences are still being felt to this day.
Over the preceding decade, premiums for individual coverage have more than doubled, patient choice has declined, and State exchanges have collapsed. This upheaval is a direct result of the law's rigid and costly regulations that predated the Trump administration.
In order to bring down costs and increase choice, today I introduced the Flexibility Through Lower Expenses Healthcare Act, or the FLEX Act.
The FLEX Act codifies into law the Trump administration's rules on short term, limited duration, and association healthcare plans. This will allow small businesses to band together to purchase affordable plans and give consumers the freedom to purchase low-cost, short-term plans if they need to.
Mr. Speaker, it is time for Congress to follow the Trump administration's lead and make these rules permanent. All citizens of our great country deserve affordable health insurance options that are free from ObamaCare's crippling regulatory regime.
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