# Plain Language Summary: Congressional Disapproval of Medicare Rule

Congress is trying to block a new rule created by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (the government agency that runs Medicare and Medicaid). This rule is related to the Affordable Care Act—the healthcare law commonly known as Obamacare—and specifically deals with something called "Market Integrity and Affordability."

When Congress uses this particular process, called a "disapproval resolution," it's essentially saying "we don't like this rule and we're voting to reject it." If this resolution passes both the House and Senate, it would cancel out the new rule that Medicare & Medicaid created. Think of it like Congress hitting the undo button on a decision made by a government agency. The rule itself hasn't been publicly detailed in the information provided, so the exact changes it would make to healthcare aren't specified here, but it involves how Medicare and Medicaid operate in the healthcare marketplace.

This matters to anyone who uses Medicare, Medicaid, or relies on these programs—which includes seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income individuals. Depending on what the rule actually does, blocking it could affect things like how much you pay for healthcare, which doctors or hospitals you can use, or how insurance companies operate. The outcome depends entirely on whether enough members of Congress vote to disapprove of the rule, and whether the President signs off on that decision.

A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services relating to "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Marketplace Integrity and Affordability".

Warner, Mark R.

This joint resolution nullifies the rule titled Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Marketplace Integrity and Affordability, which was issued by the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services on June 25, 2025.&nbsp;The rule makes several changes to enrollment requirements for health insurance exchanges, including (1) requiring annual open enrollment periods for all exchanges to begin by November 1 and end by December 31, (2) requiring all exchanges to conduct pre-enrollment verification of eligibility for at least 75% of new enrollments through special enrollment periods, and (3) prohibiting Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients from enrolling in plans through exchanges or in state Basic Health Programs (state programs for certain low-income residents).The rule also prohibits individual and small group health insurers from covering certain sex-trait modification procedures as an essential health benefit.