Neal Opening Statement at Full Committee Hearing with Health Insurance CEOs

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

A theme of this Congress has been Republican silence as my colleagues rubberstamp this Administration’s attacks on the American people. 

On this dais, we warned of the danger of DOGE’s meddling with the American people’s most private data, and the other side acted as though we were hysterical—what do you all have to say now that the Trump Administration has admitted data was illegally shared for the purpose of election interference?

Then there’s the silence on the affordability crisis created by the President. House Republicans hamstrung their own ability to act, leaving the reckless, illegal tariffs to hike prices and imperil our global relationships. Trillions in retirement savings were wiped out earlier this week and homeownership drifts further out of reach.

That brings us to this hearing.

This isn’t accountability. It’s damage control by a Majority desperate to deflect from the role they’ve played in hiking health care costs and sabotaging the system. 

Americans are rightly angry at insurance companies. We all know stories of coverage failures. We see record profits. 

Costs must come down.

If Republicans were serious about doing that, the fastest, most effective action: extend the expanded ACA tax credits.

But Republicans have no interest in strengthening health care or protecting patients. They used their signature legislation to slash $1 trillion from health care. They refused to extend the ACA tax credits causing millions to forgo health coverage this year, and they’ve been silent as the Trump Administration wages an all-out war on public health and science.

There’s a crisis afoot, and instead of hearing from those struggling, Republicans have brought in a handful of CEOs to redirect public anger—anything to avoid accountability. 

Anything to distract from stories like Ms. Young’s. A breast cancer survivor and a small business owner, Ms. Young knows exactly what the Republican attacks on health care mean— soaring costs, shrinking coverage, and creating unnecessary stress. 

The Majority had all of 2025 to act. All year to prevent premiums from doubling, tripling—I’ve even heard of septupling. 

They chose not to.

Democrats offered numerous avenues to save the ACA tax credits and lower costs. Let’s be clear about priorities: as Trump prices out the $700 billion price tag to buy Greenland, that money could keep health care costs low for a generation. Their choice is clear, and it’s not American families. 

If it wasn’t already clear, the ACA is here to stay. 17 House Republicans joining Democrats to take over the floor should settle it.

That’s because people-first legislating works. The ACA transformed health care. It opened coverage to small business owners and people with pre-existing conditions. It capped premiums at 8.5% of income and we put an average of $2,400 back in families’ pockets. 94% of the enhanced tax credits go to households making under $200,000. Compare that to Republicans’ Big, Ugly Law, where just 37% go to those same families.

Republicans’ signature law is underwater while the ACA continues to grow in use and popularity. Their sabotage is an attempt to drag us backward. To when millions were uninsured, pre-existing conditions meant denial, and so many were left without options. 

We’re not letting that happen. The answer to this Republican-made health crisis is not higher deductibles. It’s not more paperwork or hoops for patients. And it’s not shifting even more costs onto families. 

There are real, longstanding problems in health care that demand solutions. Insurers must step up to reduce costs—and that doesn't mean shifting the burden onto patients.

Our focus should instead be on protecting care, expanding coverage, and bringing down costs. Working together to strengthen the system for the people. 

With that, I yield back.

###