Harrisburg, Pennsylvania – April 9, 2026 – Senator Maria Collett (D-12 Montgomery, Caucus Chairman) announced a novel package of legislation to address rising health care costs in Pennsylvania.
WITH rapidly rising running costs, crippling medical debts and excessively high insurance premiums, Nearly half of American adults have trouble financing health care. 120,000 Pennsylvanians opted out of health insurance after Washington Republicans refused to extend subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. It is estimated that due to changes included in President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Act of 2025 By 2034, 16 million Americans will lose health insurance.
“As a nurse caring for patients at the bedside, I have seen firsthand the urgent need for affordable and accessible health care.” Collett said. “Pennsylvanians deserve care, not cuts. They deserve leaders who offer solutions, not excuses. That’s why I continue to push legislation that will lower the out-of-pocket costs of preventive care and medications while addressing systemic issues like private equity greed.”
Senator Collett’s proposed legislation includes:
Preventive care and drug affordability
- Maintaining access to preventive health care: Requires health insurance policies to cover preventive health care services without cost sharing.
- Co-pay accumulator legislation (SB 268): Requires insurers or pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to include any amounts paid by an enrollee or paid on behalf of an enrollee by another party (i.e., a drug manufacturer) when calculating the enrollee’s total contribution toward the program’s deductible or out-of-pocket spending limit.
- Reducing the cost of epinephrine delivery systems for everyone (SB 1126): Requires health insurers to cap costs for epinephrine delivery systems and caps out-of-pocket costs for consumers at $35.
- Access to contraceptives (SB 1112): Requires insurers to provide coverage for contraceptives, eliminates most co-pays for related insurance, waives prior authorization requirements for certain contraceptives, and authorizes insurers to concurrently cover contraception for up to 12 months.
Systemic reforms
- Commission on Comprehensive Health Care: Establishes a 24-member diverse commission to evaluate the feasibility of creating a comprehensive health insurance system for the state by 2029. The commission’s primary goal will be to study how to provide affordable and high-quality health insurance to all Pennsylvanians, regardless of income or existing insurance.
- Protecting nursing home residents: : To prioritize the care of nursing home residents, this legislation would require:
- Consolidated Financial Reporting for Licensed Nursing Home Operators.
- At least 75% of taxpayer funds allocated to the facility are spent on direct bedside care.
- Establish complete ownership records for each person or entity that owns or operates the facility; AND
- Reform licensing requirements to prevent the transfer or sale of skilled nursing facilities to entities with a history of closure within the Commonwealth or nationwide unless specifically authorized by the Department of Health.
- Including health care costs for Pennsylvania residents: Establishes an annual benchmark for health care cost growth, setting a goal of limiting growth in total health care spending in line with state economic growth. Health systems or insurers exceeding this benchmark will be required to submit a performance improvement plan to adjust their costs.
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