Mackenzie backs bipartisan health bills as federal insurance aid stalls, premiums to rise Jan. 1
LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa. — U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, who represents the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos, has signed onto two bipartisan efforts in Congress aimed at lowering health care costs, as advocates urge him to support a separate measure they say is needed to prevent major premium hikes for thousands of constituents.
Mackenzie this week added his name to discharge petitions for the Bipartisan Health Insurance Affordability Act and the CommonGround for Affordable Health Care Act, two cross-party bills that would extend federal health insurance tax credits and implement reforms targeting fraud, prescription drug middlemen and transparency in the health care system.
A discharge petition allows a majority of House members to force a bill to the floor for a vote, bypassing the standard committee process. Mackenzie is an original cosponsor of both bills.
“The people of the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos deserve to see commonsense, bipartisan reforms to our healthcare system, not large price spikes,” Mackenzie said in a statement.
What the bills would do
The two bipartisan bills Mackenzie supports would extend enhanced premium tax credits — the subsidies that lower out-of-pocket monthly insurance costs for people buying coverage through marketplaces such as Pennsylvania’s Pennie.
The Bipartisan Health Insurance Affordability Act, led by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., includes a two-year extension of the credits for people earning up to 700% of the federal poverty line, along with reforms to pharmacy benefit managers, an extension of open enrollment to 2026 and new anti-fraud measures.
The CommonGround for Affordable Health Care Act, led by Reps. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., and Jen Kiggans, R-Va., includes a one-year extension of the credits for higher-income households and a longer open enrollment period.
Advocates push further
While Mackenzie has supported these bipartisan reforms, he has not signed onto a separate discharge petition that would extend the same tax credits for three years — a move advocates say is crucial to preventing premium hikes that will hit families beginning in January.
More than 20,000 people in Mackenzie’s district received enhanced tax credits this year, according to state data. Without action, average premiums for Pennie enrollees in the Lehigh Valley are projected to rise 178%, higher than the national average. Health care research nonprofit KFF estimates the average annual premium in Pennsylvania will jump from $888 in 2025 to $1,904 in 2026 — a 114% increase.
Advocacy group Affordable Pennsylvania is urging Mackenzie to support the three-year extension petition, which needs just four Republicans to force a vote.
For constituents like Lynn Weidner, a home care worker in the Lehigh Valley, the stakes are personal. Weidner works nearly 80 hours a week and currently pays $400 a month for coverage. She expects that to increase to about $680 if the credits expire.
“So I’m trying to find places where I can cut money so that I can afford my insurance come January, which is stressful,” she said.
The two bipartisan bills Mackenzie supports could advance if their discharge petitions receive enough signatures. Meanwhile, pressure is mounting for Congress to act quickly on the tax credits expiring in January, with open enrollment already underway.
