AHP Legislation Tracker: Where H.R. 6703 and S. 1847 Stand
A continuously updated, sourced status page for the federal bills that would legalize cross-industry group health buying for freelancers and small businesses.
This page tracks the two federal bills that matter most to anyone hoping to buy health insurance as part of a group of freelancers, gig workers, or small businesses. We update it whenever either bill moves. Last updated: July 30, 2026.
H.R. 6703 — Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act
Status: Passed the House 216–211 on December 17, 2025. Stalled in the Senate — no hearing, no markup, and no floor vote since it was received on December 18, 2025.
What it would do: expand Association Health Plans (AHPs) so small businesses, freelancers, and self-employed people could band together — including across different industries and states — to buy group-rate coverage under one large pooled plan.
Why it's stuck: the bill needs 60 votes in the Senate, and negotiations have been tangled with an unrelated dispute over extending ACA premium subsidies. Until that logjam breaks, the bill isn't moving.
S. 1847 / H.R. 2528 — Association Health Plans Act
Status: S. 1847 has sat in the Senate HELP Committee since May 2025 with no action. Its House companion, H.R. 2528, is further along than most coverage suggests: it was reported out of committee on June 25, 2025, placed on the Union Calendar on December 15, 2025, and received a fresh CBO cost estimate on May 28, 2026 — making it the more legislatively active of the two standalone bills. It pursues the same AHP expansion goal as H.R. 6703's association provisions.
What is already settled law (and often misunderstood)
The July 2025 "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" did not include AHP expansion — the Senate stripped that language before passage. (The law did make sweeping Medicaid, CHIP, and ACA-marketplace changes, which is a different story — one that's pushing even more people to shop for their own coverage.) The 2018 Department of Labor rule that briefly made cross-industry AHPs easy was struck down in federal court in 2019 and formally rescinded by DOL in April 2024.
That leaves the stricter pre-2018 guidance (dating back to 1979) in force: an association needs a genuine non-insurance purpose, real industry commonality (geography alone isn't enough), and member control — and sole proprietors with no employees generally can't join. California adds its own wall: the state's narrow statutory exemption for association coverage is closed to new entrants for practical purposes — its registration window closed in 2022, it carries roughly a dozen statutory conditions, and even that provision sunsets on January 1, 2030.
What this means for you
Today, the realistic options are ACA marketplace plans, level-funded small-group plans (for businesses with at least one W-2 employee), and a handful of long-established association plans. That's exactly what FindGroupHealth compares.
If either bill becomes law, the groups organizing on this site will be the first to know — and the first positioned to act. Join or start a group, and we'll notify you the moment the status above changes.
Educational content, not legal, tax, or benefits advice. FindGroupHealth.com is not affiliated with HealthCare.gov or CMS. Legislation statuses reflect the last-updated date above; see the official Congress.gov record for real-time status.