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Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act

Floor Speech

By: Bob Onder
By: Bob Onder
Date: Dec. 17, 2025
Location: Washington, DC

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Mr. ONDER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act, which includes legislation which I introduced earlier this year, the Self-Insurance Protection Act. This bill ensures that employers who choose to self-insure retain access to a critical financial tool: stop-loss insurance.

Many employers choose to self-insure so they can tailor coverage to the specific needs of their workforce. This flexibility lowers healthcare costs and increases take-home pay for employees. However, self-insurance carries a greater financial risk, which is why employers rely on stop-loss insurance to protect against catastrophic claims.

In recent years, some States have tried to regulate self-insurance out of existence. States like New York have barred small employers from purchasing stop-loss insurance. For years, Democrats, in their pursuit of single-payer healthcare, have tried to regulate it as traditional health insurance. The Self-Insurance Protection Act makes it clear that stop-loss insurance is a financial safeguard, not health insurance.

The Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act will expand access to other options that increase competition and lower costs, like association health plans. The first Trump administration expanded access to associated health plans and lowered costs by 26 percent.

Through AHPs, employers can pool together to set up their own insurance plan and negotiate better healthcare coverage. This approach could eventually allow Costco or Sam's Club to offer their own revolutionary low-cost health insurance.

As a physician, I have seen firsthand that increasing competition and choice lowers costs, and the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act will deliver lower costs for the 78 percent of Americans who receive insurance through their employer. In addition, it will lower ObamaCare premiums by 11 percent.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this bill and urge its passage.

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