# 119-s-3599: Affordable CHOICE Act

119-s-3599, Affordable CHOICE Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI] (D-RI); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3599
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-3599
- Congress: 119
- Title: Affordable CHOICE Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-01-08
- Sponsor: Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI] (D-RI)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**A federal public health insurance option** would be offered through the ACA exchanges to expand affordable, high-quality choices and increase competition and stability in the individual and small-group markets. The option would be managed by the HHS Secretary and offered as bronze, silver, and gold qualified health plans for plan years beginning January 1, 2027. - Families and consumers would get a new government-run plan on the exchanges that follows the same benefit levels, consumer protections, provider network rules, and cost-sharing limits as other qualified plans. This gives people another standardized choice at bronze, silver, and gold levels. - Health care providers would face new participation rules and payment negotiations. Medicare and Medicaid participating providers would be included unless they opt out, and the Secretary must negotiate rates by January 1, 2026, with default payment set to Medicare Parts A and B rates if talks fail. - States and the federal government would share design and oversight roles. States may form advisory councils to advise on operations and quality, while the Secretary would set premiums, collect data, and hold PHIO receipts and disbursements in a Treasury account. Start-up funding for 90 days of claims reserves is authorized, with repayment amortized over a 10-year period starting January 1, 2027.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Slotkin, Elissa [D-MI] (D-MI), 2026-01-08T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- New public plan on health Exchanges: benefit, medium. If enacted, the federal government would offer a new public health plan through the ACA Exchanges starting with plan years that begin January 1, 2027. The plan would be sold only by the Secretary, not private insurers. It would include bronze, silver, and gold levels and be treated as a qualified h…
- Public plan startup funding and repayment: benefit, medium. If enacted, the government would create a Treasury account for money and spending related to the public plan. The bill would authorize the funds needed to start the plan, including enough to cover 90 days of claims reserves based on projected enrollment. Any start-up funding would be repaid to the…
- State advisory councils for the public plan: benefit, low. If enacted, a State could create a public or nonprofit advisory council to give the Secretary recommendations about the public plan. Councils would include the public, consumers, and providers. They would advise on quality improvement, cost control, public outreach, and value-based payment ideas. T…
- Provider participation and contracting rules: mixed, medium. If enacted, providers who participate in Medicare or a State Medicaid plan would be participating providers in the public plan by default unless they opt out through a Secretary-established process. The Secretary would set conditions of participation and require State licensure or certification. Th…
- Public plan premiums and provider payments: mixed, medium. If enacted, the Secretary would set geographically adjusted premiums for the public plan for plan years starting January 1, 2027. Premiums must fully finance benefits, administrative costs, and include a contingency margin. The Secretary must negotiate provider and drug payment rates by January 1,…

## Related bills

- 119-s-4949: Water Resources Development Act of 2026
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act
- 119-s-5042: Social Security 2100 Act
- 119-s-3869: Healthy Families Act
- 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act

## Sources
- [119-s-3599 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3599)

## Related
- [119-s-4949: Water Resources Development Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4949)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823)
- [119-s-5042: Social Security 2100 Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5042)
- [119-s-3869: Healthy Families Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3869)
- [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3599 (as of 2026-04-21).