# 119-hr-9455: SMOOTH Payments Act

119-hr-9455, SMOOTH Payments Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Bean, Aaron [R-FL-4] (R-FL); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-07-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9455
- As of: 2026-07-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-9455
- Congress: 119
- Title: SMOOTH Payments Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-06-25
- Sponsor: Rep. Bean, Aaron [R-FL-4] (R-FL)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-07-11

## Summary

This bill would change who can get the premium tax credit (PTC) by linking eligibility to the kinds of plans an insurer offers. **The core idea is to make the PTC available only when an issuer offers at least one qualified health plan that lets enrollees pay $0 at the point of service and instead spread cost sharing into a capped monthly payment.** - Families and enrollees: People enrolled in a plan from an issuer that does not offer the required monthly cost‑sharing option could lose access to the PTC. The rule would apply for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2026, affecting 2027 and later. - Health insurers and plan designers: Issuers would need to offer at least one qualified health plan with a zero point‑of‑service option and an explicit monthly cost‑sharing cap to preserve their enrollees' PTC eligibility. The Secretary of Health and Human Services may approve alternative methods for capping monthly costs. - Coverage scope: Catastrophic plans remain a separate excluded category and would not be made eligible by this change.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Rep. Alford, Mark [R-MO-4] (R-MO), 2026-06-25T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Tighter marketplace premium tax credit rules: cost, high. If enacted, this bill would narrow who can claim the premium tax credit for marketplace health plans. It would exclude catastrophic plans from counting for the credit. It would also deny credit eligibility for plans from any issuer that does not offer at least one plan letting each enrollee pay $0…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-137: TCJA Permanency Act
- 119-hr-9298: Stopping Harmful and Outrageous Torts Act
- 119-hr-6766: Essential Caregivers Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-9455 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9455)

## Related
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-137: TCJA Permanency Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-137)
- [119-hr-9298: Stopping Harmful and Outrageous Torts Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9298)
- [119-hr-6766: Essential Caregivers Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6766)
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9455 (as of 2026-07-11).