Rep. Beth Van Duyne introduced the Healthcare Freedom and Fairness Act on May 29, aiming to eliminate Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) regulations that restrict broader participation in healthcare marketplace pools. The legislation is intended to help small businesses, self-employed individuals, and underinsured Americans form nationwide risk pools to negotiate directly with health insurance companies for lower premiums and improved coverage.
According to the announcement, the bill would reform ERISA—the federal law governing employee benefits—by removing constraints established under the Affordable Care Act. This change is designed to allow independent workers and small businesses access to purchasing power similar to that of large corporations or labor unions.
“Due to the ongoing failure of Obamacare coupled with healthcare monopolies and artificial barriers for healthcare innovation, hard-working families and small businesses continue to pay the price for limited healthcare options with skyrocketing premiums,” said Rep. Van Duyne. “This legislation is about delivering common-sense reforms to strip away unnecessarily restrictive federal regulations and create the conditions for more Americans to have access to truly affordable, high-quality healthcare coverage. Through the Healthcare Freedom and Fairness Act, we are finally breaking down regulatory barriers and giving the self-employed, Main Street businesses, and other individuals the collective bargaining power they deserve to command a better deal from insurance companies.”
The proposed changes include regulatory uniformity by allowing pooled plans under ERISA exemption to operate within a single federal framework instead of complying with multiple state mandates; increased bargaining power by combining individuals into larger purchasing groups; and tailored benefit designs that address specific demographic needs rather than adhering strictly to standardized plans required by current law.
Beth Van Duyne has served in Congress representing Texas’s 24th District since 2021 after replacing Kenny Marchant. She was born in Ithaca, New York in 1970 and currently resides in Irving. In recent elections she defeated Sam Eppler in 2024 with 60.3% of votes, Jan McDowell in 2022 with 59.7%, and Candace Valenzuela in 2020 with 48.8%, according to the office of Rep. Beth Van Duyne.
