Today, Senate Republicans voted to rip away the Affordable Care Act tax credits that more than 21 million Americans rely on to afford their coverage and solidify their attacks on American health care. With just three weeks left until January 1st, their vote to end the credits guarantees punishing premium hikes that will force families into impossible decisions – skipping care, delaying medications, or taking on medical debt just to get by. Senate Democrats stood united, voting unanimously to extend these credits and protect families from skyrocketing costs, but Republicans chose to side with billionaires and big corporations instead. The result is simple and devastating: families are left with higher bills, fewer options, and no relief in sight.
Vox: Blame Republicans for Our Health Insurance Mess
- “Americans are right to blame the Republicans for this entirely avoidable health care catastrophe. The upcoming rate hikes are the result of the party’s failures to take health policy seriously for decades.”
The Hill: Republicans Block Bill to Extend Expiring Health Insurance Subsidies
- “Senate Republicans on Thursday blocked a motion to advance a Democrat-drafted bill to extend enhanced health insurance premium subsidies that are due to expire at the end of 2025, tax credits that Democrats say are needed to keep premiums from rising by double digits next year.”
The New Republic: List of Every Republican Who Voted to Make Obamacare More Expensive
- “Health care premiums have already gone up in several states, and lower-income states, including Republican-run states like Mississippi, Tennessee, and South Carolina, stand to suffer the most. Many Americans will likely drop their ACA health care plans, meaning that an estimated four million Americans could be without health care coverage.”
The Washington Post: Senate Blocks Democrats’ Bill to Extend Expiring Obamacare Subsidies
- “The Senate blocked a bill Thursday to extend Affordable Care Act health insurance subsidies, all but ensuring they will expire at the end of the year. The vote was the culmination of Democrats’ months-long push to extend the subsidies and prevent premiums from rising for millions of Americans — a campaign that helped trigger the longest federal government shutdown in history.”
Common Dreams: GOP Senators Blasted for Voting to ‘Spike Healthcare Costs for Millions’
- “The advocacy group Protect Our Care condemned Republicans after Thursday’s vote for delivering ‘one of the most devastating blows to American healthcare in years.’‘Senate Republicans didn’t just turn their backs on American families—they actively voted to spike healthcare costs for millions,’ said Protect Our Care president Brad Woodhouse. ‘They know ending the tax credits will send premiums skyrocketing, force people off their coverage, and push families to the brink just to afford a doctor’s visit, and they did it anyway. This was a calculated attack on hard-working families across the nation, all so Republicans can keep showering billionaires and big corporations with tax breaks.’ ‘Every person left uninsured, every skipped prescription, every family thrown into financial turmoil is the direct result of the choice Republicans made,’ added Woodhouse. ‘With this vote, Republicans told struggling families loud and clear: ‘You’re on your own.’’”
The Michigan Independent: Senate Republicans Block Bill to Renew Health Insurance Subsidies
- “The Republican majority in the U.S. Senate blocked a Democratic bill on Dec. 11 that would have extended an expiring tax credit that helps 22 million Americans afford their health insurance premiums.”
Reuters: Republican-Controlled US Congress Poised to Allow Obamacare Health Subsidies to Expire
- “The Republican-controlled U.S. Congress is poised to allow tax credits to lapse for 24 million Americans, as a December 31 deadline approaches with no sign of a healthcare compromise after the Senate failed to advance dueling proposals on Thursday.”
Huff Post: Republicans Filibuster Bill Averting Health Care Premium Hikes Next Year
- “Senate Republicans on Thursday blocked Democratic legislation that would have extended enhanced tax credits for over 20 million people enrolled in the Affordable Care Act for the next three years, setting up big health insurance premium hikes next year.”
The Bulwark: Concepts of Health Care Plans → Humiliation Trying to Pass Them
- “The outcome is a disaster on a human level. Millions of people are now facing the prospects of drastically elevated premiums at a time when affordability concerns are already paramount. It’s also a calamity for Republicans politically, who are now set to be blamed for those skyrocketing premiums all while proving, yet again, that they are incapable of finding a health care plan that doesn’t ultimately make the system even worse and more chaotic.”