Rep. Sylvia Garcia Applauds Executive Order to Lower Health Coverage Costs for Texas Families

WASHINGTON, April 15 -- Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, issued the following news release:

Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (TX-29) applauded President Joe Biden's executive order to bring down the cost of health insurance and expand health coverage to more Texans. The executive order is the most significant action to strengthen the Affordable Care Act (ACA) since it was signed into law 12 years ago by President Barack Obama.

"President Biden has taken a bold step forward to expand health coverage and bring down costs for Texans across the Lone Star State", said Congresswoman Garcia. "This executive order will significantly lower health coverage costs for nearly one million Americans who only have unaffordable coverage options at work. On top of that, it extends health insurance to 200,000 uninsured Americans. This is remarkable news and I look to seeing more Texans access high-quality medical insurance."

President Biden's executive order delivers on fixing the so-called "family glitch." Before the executive order, regulations allowed employer-based health insurance to be considered "affordable" by only considering the employee's actual rate. The employee's family members often paid astronomical rates because of this loophole. For family members, the cost of that family coverage can sometimes be very expensive and make health insurance out of reach. The "family glitch" affects about 5 million people and has made it impossible for many families to use the premium tax credit to purchase an affordable, high-quality Marketplace plan.

Fixing the "family glitch" builds on several steps Democrats have taken to lower health costs and build on the Affordable Care Act, including the American Rescue Plan which was signed into law last year. The American Rescue Plan is saving families an average of $2,400 in annual premiums and has helped enroll a record 14.5 million Americans in marketplace plans - including 1,840,000+ Texans, a 42% percent increase from last year.