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ssociation Health Plans let REALTOR® groups offer members and families affordable, high‑quality coverage. On Dec. 17 the House passed the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act, 216‑211, sending it to the Senate. A key clause expands AHPs to self‑employed professionals, a change NAR championed in a letter to House leaders before the vote.

    NAR has long promoted AHPs as a cost‑effective insurance option for local REALTOR® associations. Earlier this year, Tennessee REALTOR® CEO Angela Shields testified before the House Education and Workforce Subcommittee, urging support for the AHP Act that was incorporated into the bill. The Department of Labor’s 2018 expansion of AHPs was struck down by a federal court in 2019, a setback Shields called “devastating.” She noted that members still wonder why they can’t access the affordable, quality plans they once had.

    Before the Affordable Care Act, 28‑33 % of NAR members were uninsured; today the figure is 10‑15 %, though many remain underinsured. Shannon McGahn, NAR’s EVP and Chief Advocacy Officer, says small business owners and self‑employed professionals have long been excluded from affordable coverage. AHPs complement the ACA, delivering real savings and security, and NAR will keep pushing for universal access to quality, affordable insurance for all self‑employed REALTORS®.