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HR 9798 · 119th CongressIntroduced

Exempt employer health plans from ACA benefit rules

Energy & Utilities
The vote
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Worked the bill
$486M
24 groups · their total 2025 lobbying
In the distance
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Summary

What the bill does

This bill would let employers who offer health plans under ERISA skip the Affordable Care Act's requirement to cover ten categories of essential health benefits, such as hospital care, prescription drugs, and maternity care. Employers would still have to follow other federal rules, like mental health parity and nondiscrimination. They would also need to tell workers each year which benefits are not covered.

Why it matters

The stakes

If this bill becomes law, millions of workers with employer-sponsored health insurance could lose coverage for services like emergency care, mental health treatment, or prescription drugs. Employers would have more freedom to design cheaper plans, but workers might face higher out-of-pocket costs for essential care.

The debate

What each side says

Supporters
  • Employers can design health plans that better fit their workers' needs and lower costs by dropping benefits their employees do not want.bill
  • The bill keeps other important protections in place, such as mental health parity and nondiscrimination rules, so workers are not left without any safety net.bill
  • Employers must disclose which essential benefits are not covered, so workers can make informed choices about their health coverage.bill
Critics
  • Workers could lose access to critical health services like hospital stays, prescription drugs, and maternity care if their employer decides not to cover them.bill
  • The bill could lead to a race to the bottom where employers cut benefits to save money, leaving employees with inadequate insurance.report

Each point links to its source. The views are attributed to those sources, not stated as ours.

Follow the money

From this bill outward

The bill

where every tie is measured from
HR 9798Exempt employer health plans from ACA benefit rulesEnergy & Utilities

Who paid lobbyists to work it

Direct tie24 groups · their total 2025 lobbying
GroupIssues2025 lobbying
(all issues)		Has PAC?
STATE OF LOC NATION GLOBAL PUBLIC BENEFIT CORPORATION›AdvocacyOtherBanking$80M✗No PAC
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF THE U.S.A.›EnergyBankingForeign$70M✗No PAC
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS›Real EstateBankingInsurance$54M✓NAORPAC
BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE INC›EnergyBankingHealth$34M✗No PAC
META PLATFORMS, INC. AND VARIOUS SUBSIDIARIES›TechSports & MediaBanking$26M✗No PAC
GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY›TransportBankingForeign$20M✓GMC
AMERICAN CHEMISTRY COUNCIL›BankingEnergyTransport$19M✓ACCP
AMAZON.COM SERVICES LLC›BankingTechLabor$18M✓ASLSSFAP

Election money, in the distance

Background · not tied to this billEnergy & Utilities PACs -> the members who voted

The background money view appears when a bill has a recorded vote and matching sector PAC data.

Lobbying filings, contributions, and votes are public records shown side by side. The further down the chain, the further the money is from this bill. This page does not assert that money caused any vote.