Washington, D.C. – Today, House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi announced her intention not to run for re-election in 2026, drawing to a close at the end of next year her storied career as a champion for working families’ health care. In her nearly 40 years in Congress, Pelosi has been a steadfast champion for landmark efforts to expand and protect health care for the American people. As Speaker of the House, she drove the design and passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which she has fiercely defended from Republican attacks ever since. In 2022, she again delivered for the American people by passing the Inflation Reduction Act, which is bringing down the cost of lifesaving prescription drugs and expanding affordable access to the ACA to millions of Americans.
“No one has contributed more to improving American health care than Nancy Pelosi, and millions of Americans owe her a debt of gratitude,” said Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach, President Brad Woodhouse, and National Organizing Director Adam Hoyer. “She is more than a health care champion, more than ‘Speaker ACA.’ She’s a national treasure who has improved the lives of every single American citizen. During this latest wave of Republican attacks on health care, it’s more important than ever that we continue her legacy and fight like hell to make health care a right once and for all.”
Because of Nancy Pelosi’s work as Speaker:
- America reached its lowest uninsured rate in history, with over 24 million people covered through the ACA in 2025.
- Nearly 50 million Americans have bought health insurance on their own through ACA marketplaces since the law went into effect in 2014.
- As many as 129 million Americans with pre-existing conditions like cancer, asthma, or a prior pregnancy cannot be denied health coverage.
- For the first time in history, Medicare has the power to negotiate billions of dollars in savings on prescription drugs and seniors are saving hundreds on insulin.
- Children can stay covered through their parents’ health insurance policies into adulthood.
- Medicaid expansion in 41 states is creating better health outcomes for millions of Americans.