NABIP asks Congress to stabilize ACA market, address affordability

The National Association of Benefits and Insurance Professionals is in Washington this week to urge lawmakers to ensure affordable and high-quality health care for all Americans.

NABIP’s main message to Congress during the 2026 Capitol Conference is to stabilize the Affordable Care Act marketplace and address health care affordability issues.

Issues NABIP members will discuss with their representatives include:

• Cosponsor the Patients Deserve Price Tags Act, which establishes enforceable, standardized health care price transparency across providers, including negotiated rates, cash prices, bundled services and pricing methodologies. The act also would ensure employers and plan sponsors have timely, no-cost access to complete plan, claims and prescription drug pricing data, while barring contractual restrictions that limit transparency. In addition, the bill would strengthen accountability and competition by enabling employers to better assess costs, oversee plans, and make informed coverage and purchasing decisions that lower costs for consumers.
• Stabilize the ACA marketplace. NABIP will ask Congress to partner with it to address affordability challenges facing millions of Americans who rely on the ACA marketplace to obtain health insurance.
• Preserve the employer-based market. NABIP will ask Congress to preserve tax incentives for employer benefits that help more than 164 million Americans obtain health care.
• Cosponsor the CHOICE Arrangement Act, which codifies and expands individual coverage health reimbursement arrangements for on- and off-marketplace plans. The act also would allow pretax employee contributions via cafeteria plans and would create a temporary small-business tax credit to encourage ICHRA adoption.
• Cosponsor the WISH Act, which would establish a long-term care benefit under Social Security.

NABIP also is asking Congress to address issues members are having in the Medicare market. NABIP wants Congress to prevent late-cycle Medicare agent compensation changes after Oct. 1 that disrupt beneficiary access to independent, licensed enrollment guidance. Among the Medicare issues NABIP will bring to Congress are:

• Cosponsor the Medicare Enrollment Protection Act, which would support COBRA as creditable coverage and would allow seniors to transition from COBRA to Medicare without late enrollment penalties for Part B.
• Cosponsor the Independent BROKERS TIME Act of 2025, which would urge the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to reexamine the regulatory framework governing independent agents, brokers and third-party marketing organizations under Medicare Parts C and D.

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Susan Rupe is editor in chief, magazine, for InsuranceNewsNet. She formerly served as communications director for an insurance agents' association and was an award-winning newspaper reporter and editor. Contact her at [email protected].