H.R. 4849: Protecting Health Care and Lowering Costs Act of 2025
Sponsor
Adam Gray
Democrat · CA-13
Bill Progress
Latest Action · Aug 1, 2025
Referred to Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 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. for review
ACA help shouldn’t vanish when your income rises
Why it matters
If your income goes one dollar over 400% of the federal poverty line, ACA help can disappear entirely. H.R. 4849 removes that cutoff so some households buying their own coverage could keep getting premium tax credits instead of paying the full bill.
H.R. 4849 would reopen premium tax credits to people above the old 400% income cutoff for ACA marketplace coverage. Instead of losing all help at one line, eligible households would stay on a sliding scale.
The bill also repeals health provisions from Public Law 119–21 and says those rules should be treated as if they had never been enacted. In plain English, Congress is trying to reset the health subsidy rules and restore broader eligibility.
The bill text does not list a dollar amount for how much more help people would get. Your actual subsidy would still depend on your income, household size, and premium costs, but the all-or-nothing cutoff above 400% of poverty would be gone for tax years starting in 2026.
H.R. 4849 Bill Summary
What H.R. 4849 actually does.
People above the old subsidy cliff can qualify again
H.R. 4849 removes the income cutoff that blocked premium tax credits once household income rose above 400% of the federal poverty line.
Subsidies stay on a sliding scale
The bill keeps premium assistance tied to income tiers instead of ending it abruptly at one threshold. The bill text says the percentage changes would rise in a linear sliding scale within each tier.
Health subsidy rules from Public Law 119–21 get rolled back
The bill repeals Subtitle B of title VII of Public Law 119–21, the health-related reconciliation subtitle named in the text.
Agencies must treat the repealed subtitle like it never took effect
The bill says any law or regulation tied to that repealed subtitle must be applied as if it and its amendments had never been enacted.
The changes start with 2026 tax years
The premium tax credit changes apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2025, so they would affect 2026 taxes and coverage calculations, not earlier years.
Who benefits from H.R. 4849?
Marketplace shoppers just above the old income cutoff
If you buy your own coverage and your household income is above 400% of the federal poverty line, H.R. 4849 would let you qualify for premium tax credits again instead of losing help all at once.
Families with income that swings year to year
Households whose earnings move up and down could face fewer subsidy surprises because a modest raise would no longer automatically knock them over a hard eligibility cliff.
Middle-income households paying full ACA premiums
People who earn too much for the old cutoff but still struggle with marketplace premiums are the main target. The bill is designed to keep assistance available further up the income scale.
Who is affected by H.R. 4849?
People buying their own ACA marketplace coverage
This is the group most directly affected because the bill changes who can claim premium tax credits for marketplace insurance.
Higher-income households that were previously excluded
Households above 400% of the federal poverty line would be newly eligible for help, though the bill text does not specify exact subsidy amounts for each income level.
Federal agencies running tax-credit and exchange rules
Treasury and health agencies would have to administer the revised sliding-scale credit rules and unwind regulations tied to the repealed subtitle in Public Law 119–21.
Federal budget scorekeepers and lawmakers
Broader tax-credit eligibility usually raises federal costs, so Congress and scorekeepers would have to measure the budget impact even though H.R. 4849 itself sets no spending number.
What Congress Is Saying
H.R. 4849 has come up 18 times in the Congressional Record so far.
H.R. 4849 also appeared in 1 more House floor reference and 16 routine cosponsor filings.
HR4849 Legislative Journey
House: Committee Action
Aug 1, 2025
Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 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.
About the Sponsor
Adam Gray
Democrat, California's 13th congressional district · 1 years in Congress
Committees: Natural Resources, Agriculture
View full profile →
Cosponsors (141)
All 141 cosponsors are Democrats. Cosponsors represent 35 states: Alabama, Arizona, California, and 32 more.
Paul Tonko
Democrat · NY
Kevin Mullin
Democrat · CA
Lateefah Simon
Democrat · CA
Robert Menendez
Democrat · NJ
John Larson
Democrat · CT
Kathy Castor
Democrat · FL
Yvette Clarke
Democrat · NY
Jennifer McClellan
Democrat · VA
Suzan DelBene
Democrat · WA
Eleanor Norton
Democrat · DC
Greg Landsman
Democrat · OH
Judy Chu
Democrat · CA
Cosponsor Coverage Map
Committee Sponsors
Energy and Commerce Committee
22 of 54 committee members cosponsored
Ways and Means Committee
11 of 45 committee members cosponsored
10 Democrats across these committees haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents
What laws does H.R. 4849 change?
3 changes
Sections Amended
Section 36B(c) of such Code
striking subparagraph (E)
Section 36B(c) of such Code
striking subparagraph (F)
Sections Repealed
B of title VII of An Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of H. Con. Res. 14 (Public Law 119-21)
H.R. 4849 Quick Facts
- Committee
- Energy and Commerce
- Chamber
- House
- Policy
- Taxation
- Introduced
- Aug 1, 2025
Referred to Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 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. for review
Aug 1, 2025
Official Sources
Official bill page with text, status, sponsors, and actions for the Protecting Health Care and Lowering Costs Act of 2025.
IRS overview of the ACA premium tax credit directly relevant to the bill’s changes to eligibility above 400% of the federal poverty line.
Official marketplace guidance explaining how premium tax credits lower monthly premiums and who may qualify.
If Congress requests a score for H.R. 4849, the Congressional Budget Office posts official cost estimates here.
Official U.S. Code text for Internal Revenue Code section 36B, the premium tax credit provision amended by the bill.
Official source for browsing federal statutory text, including the Internal Revenue Code provisions amended in section 3.
Official guidance on how marketplace income is counted, which matters for determining subsidy eligibility under the bill’s sliding-scale approach.
H.R. 4849 Common Questions
Would H.R. 4849 let you get ACA subsidies above the old income limit?
Yes. H.R. 4849 removes the 400% of poverty income cutoff, so people above that line could qualify for premium tax credits again.
When would the subsidy changes start?
For tax years beginning after December 31, 2025. In practice, that means the changes would affect 2026 coverage and 2026 taxes, not 2025.
Does H.R. 4849 bring back the ACA subsidy cliff fix?
Yes. The bill is written to restore broader premium tax credit eligibility by ending the rule that cut people off once income went above 400% of the federal poverty line.
Will everyone get the same ACA tax credit under H.R. 4849?
No. The bill says help would still be based on a sliding scale tied to income tiers. It removes the cliff, but it does not give everyone the same subsidy.
Does H.R. 4849 repeal part of Public Law 119–21?
Yes. H.R. 4849 repeals the health-related subtitle identified in Public Law 119–21 and tells agencies to apply the law as if that subtitle had never been enacted.
If this passes, could your old 2025 ACA subsidy change?
No. The bill's tax-credit changes start with tax years after December 31, 2025, so it would not rewrite 2025 eligibility.
Who is most likely to benefit from H.R. 4849?
People who buy their own health insurance and earn too much for the old ACA subsidy cutoff. They could become eligible for premium tax credits again under H.R. 4849.
Based on H.R. 4849 bill text
H.R. 4849 Bill Text
“To repeal health-related portions of An Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of H. Con. Res. 14, and for other purposes.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
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