House lawmakers propose bill to protect preventive medical care
Trio of health professional-legislators look to address federal leadership changes
Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus June 18, 2026 | 1:12 PM
HARRISBURG, June 18 – As federal officials continue to threaten public health, state Reps. Arvind Venkat, Tarik Khan and Bridget Kosierowski, all healthcare professionals, have announced their intention to introduce legislation that would require insurers to continue to cover previously recommended forms of preventive care and allow the Pennsylvania Department of Health to update those recommendations based on the best scientific evidence informed by healthcare professional organizations.
The proposed legislation would require insurers in Pennsylvania to cover all forms of preventive services recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the Health Resources and Services Administration as of Jan. 1, 2025. These three agencies have seen significant leadership changes since that time, raising concerns over their independence and scientific credibility.
Under the Affordable Care Act, insurers must cover preventive medical care services recommended by these federal bodies without patient financial responsibility. With the federal changes in these critical entities, Venkat said the validity of their recommendations is very much in question, threatening the insurance coverage of preventive medical care for all Pennsylvanians.
“As a physician-legislator, I have seen how access to evidence-based preventive medical care is under attack,” said Venkat, D-Allegheny. “Due to federal policy and personnel changes, Affordable Care Act-mandated coverage for common screenings and checkups may disappear, harming millions of Pennsylvanians and Americans.
“That is why it’s crucial that we act now to ensure that Pennsylvanians can continue to get the care they need to eliminate their illness in its earliest stages or prevent it in the first place. I am thankful to Reps. Khan and Kosierowski, fellow health professionals, on their partnership on this vital legislation.”
“As a nurse practitioner, I’ve seen firsthand how preventive care saves lives. Early screenings, vaccines and other preventive services help keep people healthy and catch problems before they become more serious,” said Khan, D-Phila. “Since President Trump returned to office, we’ve seen science take a back seat to social media misinformation, conspiracy theories and junk science. That threatens people’s access to lifesaving care and treatment. Our bill protects access to fact-based preventive care so patients can continue getting the screenings, vaccines and treatments they need to stay healthy.”
“As a nurse for 30 years, I repeatedly saw preventive care save lives by catching disease early, and I saw lives lost because patients couldn’t afford screenings or treatment,” said Kosierowski, D-Lackawanna. “I also saw hospitals strained past the breaking point by overwhelming staff workloads and the financial burden of uncompensated care for uninsured patients who had nowhere else to go. This bill will not only protect access to essential, evidence-based preventive care, but it will also help ensure that our healthcare system is not further burdened by growing numbers of uninsured patients.”
In addition to prior recommendations from USPSTF, ACIP and HRSA, the Pennsylvania Department of Health would have the authority to add or remove preventive service requirements based on widely reviewed scientific evidence which would in turn be mandated to be covered by insurers in Pennsylvania without patient financial responsibility.
Common forms of preventive healthcare, which keeps individuals from getting sick and detects conditions in their earliest stages, include vaccinations, cancer screenings and annual checkups, among others.
The legislation comes after the House in October 2025 passed similar legislation introduced by the same group of lawmakers, H.B. 1828, to require insurers in Pennsylvania to cover vaccinations recommended by ACIP previously or state health officials and several professional medical societies.
Venkat, Khan and Kosierowski are currently circulating the proposal, seeking the support of their colleagues. The legislation will be introduced shortly.