← Back to Bills
S. 2556Senate119th Congress (2025-2027)In Committee

Protecting Health Care and Lowering Costs Act

Sponsored by Charles E. SchumerSen. Charles E. Schumer (D-NY)
Introduced July 30, 2025

AI-Generated Summary

Updated November 23, 2025 at 11:05 PM UTC

The Protecting Health Care and Lowering Costs Act rolls back health‑policy changes made by a prior health subtitle of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and makes a more generous premium tax credit permanent. It removes the 400 % cap on the credit, sets new income‑based credit percentages, and eliminates certain restrictive provisions, applying these changes to tax years starting after 2025.

Key Provisions

  • Repeals Subtitle B of Title VII of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (Public Law 119‑21), undoing any changes that subtitle made to health‑care laws or regulations.
  • Amends the premium tax credit in the Internal Revenue Code by removing the previous limit that the credit could not exceed 400 % of the applicable percentage.
  • Creates a new sliding‑scale premium credit that varies by household income as a percent of the poverty line: 0 % for incomes up to 150 % of poverty; 0 % to 2 % for 150‑200 %; 2 % to 4 % for 200‑250 %; 4 % to 6 % for 250‑300 %; 6 % to 8.5 % for 300‑400 %; and a flat 8.5 % for incomes above 400 % of poverty.
  • Strikes several sub‑paragraphs and clauses in section 36B(c) that previously limited or defined the affordability of coverage.
  • All changes take effect for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2025.

Legislative Activity

Stay on top of the latest movement without scrolling through every action

1 earlier action
SenateIntro Referral Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text: CR S4908)

Finance Committee

July 30, 2025

View full timeline
SenateIntro Referral

Introduced in Senate

July 30, 2025

SenateIntro Referral

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text: CR S4908)

Finance Committee

July 30, 2025

Floor Debate

3 members

What members said about S. 2556 on the floor

3 Democrats
Alex Padilla
Sen. Alex PadillaD-CA · Jul 30, 2025

Mr. President, I rise to introduce the bipartisan NCUA Central Liquidity Facility Enhancements Act. In December 2022, the temporary statutory enhancements that assisted the agent membership of…

Record
Richard J. Durbin
Sen. Richard J. DurbinD-IL · Jul 30, 2025

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Record
Charles E. Schumer
Sen. Charles E. SchumerD-NY · Jul 30, 2025

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Record
Charles E. Schumer
Sen. Charles E. SchumerD-NY · Jul 30, 2025

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Record

Bill Text

Latest available legislative text

Reading Mode
Latest
Raw Text PDF XML
Introduced in SenateIssued July 30, 2025

II

119th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 2556

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

July 30, 2025

Mr. Schumer (for himself, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Merkley, Mrs. Shaheen, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Welch, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Hickenlooper, Mr. King, Mr. Luján, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Reed, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Peters, Mr. Blumenthal, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Whitehouse, Ms. Warren, Mr. Warner, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Schiff, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Markey, Mr. Coons, Ms. Alsobrooks, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Gallego, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Warnock, Ms. Smith, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Booker, Ms. Slotkin, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Kim, Ms. Cortez Masto, Ms. Cantwell, Ms. Klobuchar, Ms. Blunt Rochester, Mr. Heinrich, Mr. Fetterman, Mr. Ossoff, Ms. Hassan, and Mr. Murphy) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance

A BILL

To repeal the changes made by the health subtitle of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Protecting Health Care and Lowering Costs Act.

2.

Repeal of health subtitle changes

Subtitle B of title VII of the Act titled An Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of H. Con. Res. 14 (Public Law 119–21) is repealed and any law or regulation referred to in such subtitle shall be applied as if such subtitle and the amendments made by such subtitle had not been enacted.

3.

Permanent extension of enhanced tax credit

(a)

In general

Subparagraph (A) of section 36B(c)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by striking but does not exceed 400 percent.

(b)

Applicable percentages

(1)

In general

Subparagraph (A) of section 36B(b)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended to read as follows:

(A)

Applicable percentage

The applicable percentage for any taxable year shall be the percentage such that the applicable percentage for any taxpayer whose household income is within an income tier specified in the following table shall increase, on a sliding scale in a linear manner, from the initial premium percentage to the final premium percentage specified in such table for such income tier:

In the case of household income
(expressed as a percent of poverty line)
within the following income tier:		 The initial premium percentage is— The final premium percentage is—
Up to 150 percent 0 0
150 percent up to 200 percent 0 2.0
200 percent up to 250 percent 2.0 4.0
250 percent up to 300 percent 4.0 6.0
300 percent up to 400 percent 6.0 8.5
400 percent and higher 8.5 8.5.

.

(2)

Conforming amendments relating to affordability of coverage

(A)

Paragraph (1) of section 36B(c) of such Code is amended by striking subparagraph (E).

(B)

Subparagraph (C) of section 36B(c)(2) of such Code is amended by striking clause (iv).

(C)

Paragraph (4) of section 36B(c) of such Code is amended by striking subparagraph (F).

(c)

Effective date

The amendments made by this section shall apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2025.