A Democratic bill with 1 Democratic cosponsor · See the cosponsor
Last activity — Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Bridge to Medicaid Act of 2025 aims to provide affordable health insurance for low-income people in States that have not expanded Medicaid. It reduces cost-sharing for certain low-income enrollees and provides additional medical transportation and specific health services for plan years 2026 and 2027. The bill creates special enrollment periods and increases funding for outreach and educational activities. It also expands eligibility for premium tax credits and limits the amount taxpayers must pay back if their income changes. Finally, it increases the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) for certain periods.
Yes· 3 of 30
- Scored +10
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?
Directly targets those at or below 138% of the poverty line with 99% cost-sharing and tax credit expansions.
- Scored +9
Does this strengthen the Affordable Care Act?
It expands premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions within the ACA framework.
- Scored +9
Does this make health care easier to get in general?
Provides significant cost reductions and special enrollment for the lowest-income populations.
The opposite· 3 of 4
- Scored -3
Does this reduce what the federal government spends?
The bill increases federal spending via new appropriations and increased FMAP percentages.
- Scored -2
Does this reduce what the federal government owes?
The bill requires new appropriations for cost-sharing payments and outreach activities.
- Scored -2
Does this make the government pay for what it commits to?
The bill increases federal expenditures without specifying new revenue sources.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Lower Out-of-Pocket Costs: For plan years 2026, 2027, and 2028, the bill increases the plan's share of total allowed costs to 99 percent for "specified enrollees" whose income is 138 percent of the poverty line or less (Section 2(a)(D)).
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Expanded Benefit Access: Low-income individuals in silver-level plans for 2026 and 2027 can receive non-emergency medical transportation and other specified services without cost sharing (Section 2(c)(2)).
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Easier Enrollment: The bill creates a special enrollment period for individuals with a household income not exceeding 138 percent of the poverty line who lack other minimum essential coverage (Section 2(b)(2)).
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Increased Awareness: The Secretary will fund outreach and educational activities tailored to hard-to-reach populations, including rural residents, veterans, and racial and sexual minorities (Section 2(d)(1)(A)).
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Greater Tax Credit Access: Between 2026 and 2029, eligibility for certain tax credits will not be limited by a minimum income requirement (Section 3(a)(1)).
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Reduced Tax Penalties: Taxpayers with household income under 200 percent of the poverty line will have their tax credit recapture amount limited to $300, or $150 for certain taxpayers (Section 3(a)(4)(A)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Temporary Nature of Benefits: Many of the cost-sharing reductions, additional benefits, and tax credit expansions are only available for a limited time, specifically through 2028 or 2029 (Section 2(a), Section 2(c), and Section 3(a)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — Directly targets those at or below 138% of the poverty line with 99% cost-sharing and tax credit expansions. Would people in rural areas be better off under this? — Specifically addresses rural needs through targeted outreach and non-emergency medical transportation. Would Black Americans be better off under this? — Targeted outreach and increased affordability benefit populations disproportionately affected by poverty. Would Hispanic Americans be better off under this? — Targeted outreach and increased affordability benefit populations disproportionately affected by poverty. Would people in middle age be better off under this? — Provides significant healthcare cost reductions for low-income adults. Would Native Americans be better off under this? — Increased access to health services in underserved areas through outreach and cost reductions. Would people with disabilities be better off under this? — Medical transportation and reduced cost-sharing improve access for those with mobility or health challenges. Would people in their twenties and thirties be better off under this? — Specifically targets young adults for outreach and improves insurance affordability. Would Asian Americans be better off under this? — Includes linguistically appropriate outreach for minority populations. Would children be better off under this? — Low-income families with children benefit from reduced cost-sharing and expanded tax credits. Would LGBTQ people be better off under this? — Includes targeted outreach for sexual minorities to facilitate health insurance enrollment. Would men be better off under this? — Low-income men benefit from significantly reduced out-of-pocket healthcare costs. Would students be better off under this? — Young adults are targeted for outreach and benefit from income-based subsidies. Would people in cities be better off under this? — Low-income urban populations benefit from the expanded ACA subsidies. Would veterans be better off under this, taking everything together? — Identifies veterans as a priority population for healthcare outreach. Would women be better off under this? — Low-income women benefit from significantly reduced out-of-pocket healthcare costs. Would farmers be better off under this? — Rural residents, including farmers, are targeted for outreach and medical transportation. Would white Americans be better off under this? — Low-income individuals in this group also benefit from the expanded subsidies. Would middle-income households be better off under this? — Expands eligibility for cost-sharing reductions up to 400% of the poverty line for certain years.
- Healthcare
- Does this make health care easier to get in general? — Provides significant cost reductions and special enrollment for the lowest-income populations. Does this strengthen the Affordable Care Act? — It expands premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions within the ACA framework. Does this put more money into Medicaid, the health coverage for people on low incomes? — The bill increases the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) for certain periods. Does this lower what people pay for private health insurance? — Expanded tax credits effectively reduce the net premium cost for low-income enrollees. Does this help veterans get medical care? — Includes veterans in targeted outreach to inform them of available health plan coverage.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Is this likely to lift people out of poverty? — Reduces the financial burden of healthcare for those below 138% of the poverty line. Does this narrow racial gaps in how people are treated? — Directs outreach efforts toward racial minorities and low-income populations in non-expansion states. Does this expand the rights of LGBTQ people? — Provides targeted outreach for sexual minorities to improve health insurance access.
- Economy And Finance
- Does this reduce what the federal government spends? — The bill increases federal spending via new appropriations and increased FMAP percentages. Does this make the government pay for what it commits to? — The bill increases federal expenditures without specifying new revenue sources. Does this reduce what the federal government owes? — The bill requires new appropriations for cost-sharing payments and outreach activities.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Does this invest in rural communities? — Specifically targets rural residents for health insurance outreach and provides medical transportation.
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Does this increase the pay, pensions or support veterans receive? — Improves access to health insurance information for veterans through targeted outreach.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this give the federal government more power? — Increases federal involvement in healthcare funding and oversight for states that didn't expand Medicaid. Does this leave more decisions to the states? — Bypasses state-level Medicaid expansion decisions by providing federal subsidies via the Exchange.
- 5/7/2025
- Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in House
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Shomari FiguresDemocrat · Alabama