Protect Our Care Released a Report on Falling ACA Enrollment Numbers After Republicans Ripped Away Health Care Tax Credits
After the end of open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the reality facing families across the country is crystal clear. As they logged on to compare plans, many were stunned to find the coverage they had last year is now hundreds or even thousands more because Republicans ripped away the tax credits that kept coverage affordable. Over the past two weeks, Protect Our Care has spotlighted the real-world fallout of GOP-driven premium hikes. Parents, seniors, and small business owners shared their stories of premiums skyrocketing, deductibles soaring, and being forced to choose between coverage and groceries or rent. Protect Our Care’s new open enrollment report details how millions are paying more for the same plans, facing higher deductibles, or being priced out of coverage altogether because Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers chose tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations. From kitchen tables to community health centers, the message has been consistent: Americans want affordable coverage. The stakes are clear — Republicans own these price hikes, and hard-working families are demanding accountability and real solutions to bring costs back down.
Arizona
February 19 – Open Enrollment Report Release Event with Maricopa County Supervisor Steve Gallardo and Health Care Advocates: Maricopa County Supervisor Steve Gallardo and health care advocates Robert Hess III and Chard Durns joined Protect Our Care Arizona to discuss a new report from Protect Our Care highlighting how President Trump and the GOP’s decision to take away the Affordable Care Act tax credits have forced 65,881 Arizonans to forgo their health care coverage. “Many of our families, not only in District 5 but across our state, are facing tremendous challenges in these hard economic times right now,” said County Supervisor Gallardo. “Many of them face the economic and social challenges of just trying to get by. Unfortunately, the plan by President Trump and many of the Republicans in Congress have made it even more difficult when it comes to health care. Health care which is so important as we all know, for not only themselves as adults, but particularly their kids.” You can watch the full event here, and view the post-event release here.
- Arizona Mirror: Arizona ACA enrollment plummets by 66,000 as premium tax credits expire
Georgia
Wednesday, February 18 – Open Enrollment Report/Accountability Event with State Representative Lisa Campbell and Health Care Advocates: State Representative Lisa Campbell joined Protect Our Care Georgia to discuss a new report from Protect Our Care highlighting how President Trump and the GOP’s decision to take away the Affordable Care Act tax credits have forced 209,598 Georgians to forgo their health care coverage. This number is expected to grow as Georgians on the ACA marketplace faced an impossible choice between keeping their health care or covering life’s necessities, downgrading their plans and paying more out of pocket, or dropping their coverage altogether. “As a state legislator, I hear from constituents who are worried about keeping their coverage. But I also hear from local leaders who are worried about keeping their hospitals open. They understand that health care access is tied directly to economic stability and community survival,” said State Representative Lisa Campbell. “The path forward is clear. We need to restore the tax credits that made coverage affordable, protect Medicaid, and stop undermining the health care infrastructure that rural Georgia depends on. Our communities should not be collateral damage in a political fight. They deserve stability, access, and leadership that recognizes what is truly at stake.” You can watch the event here, and view the post-event release here.
Iowa
Tuesday, February 17 – Rural Health Care Closure Event with Iowa Advocates, Providers and Storytellers: Protect Our Care Iowa joined around 80 Iowans in Ottumwa to hear from community members, health care providers and others impacted by the closure of MercyOne’s Ottumwa clinic and discuss the state of health care in Wapello County and rural Iowa. Representative Zach Nunn voted for the Republican Tax Law that included disastrous cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, and put rural hospitals at risk of closing. Congressman Nunn recently said that he wants to eliminate the ACA entirely, which would put further strain on hospitals’ budgets and cost Iowans even more, even though he recently acknowledged hospitals are a critical component to strong communities. “All of Iowa’s congressional delegation voted for the Republican Tax Law, which is a disaster,” said Peter, a retired physician. “It will cause harm to Iowans, it has caused the final financial blow to our MercyOne clinic along with layoffs in Des Moines. The parent organization is going to lose $1.5 billion in the next few years, so they are making cuts. That’s not good health care, that’s not good policy, it’s not even good politics. We need to hold our elected leaders accountable for these actions.” You can read the post-event release here.
Michigan
Thursday, February 19 – Open Enrollment Report Release Event with State Senator Sean McCann and State Representative Julie Rogers: Michigan Sen. Sean McCann and Michigan Rep. Julie Rogers joined Protect Our Care Michigan to discuss a new report from Protect Our Care highlighting how President Trump and the GOP’s decision to take away the Affordable Care Act tax credits have forced 34,000 Michiganders to forgo their health care coverage. This number is expected to grow as Michiganders on the ACA marketplace faced an impossible choice between keeping their health care or covering life’s necessities, downgrading their plans and paying more out of pocket, or dropping their coverage altogether. “Here in the Kalamazoo area, approximately 29,000 people will pay 77% more for their health care because Congress refused to extend middle-class tax credits under the ACA,” Senator McCann said. “When I speak to constituents, I hear heartbreaking stories of small-business owners being forced to shut down what they spent blood, sweat and tears building because of tariffs, supply chain challenges and massive increases in health care costs. I talk to parents who are forced to make devastating choices between things like paying rent, buying groceries, or paying for utilities due to the OBBB and congressional Republicans’ war on health care.” You can watch the full event here, and read the post-event release here.
Ohio
Thursday, February 12 – Open Enrollment Report Release Event with Ohio Representative Dr. Anita Somani and Health Care Advocates: State Representative Dr. Anita Somani, Dr. Christopher Brown, and retired Lake County resident John Francis joined Protect Our Care Ohio to discuss a new report from Protect Our Care highlighting how President Trump and the GOP’s decision to take away the Affordable Care Act tax credits have forced 113,827 to forgo their health care coverage. “This is a policy choice, to keep people unhealthy, to keep people sick, and to force people into medical debt or bankruptcy,” said Ohio Representative Dr. Anita Somani. “We need to look at government helping people, rather than hurting them.” You can watch the event here.
- Gongwer: Report finds Ohio ranks fourth in ACA enrollment decrease (Full text viewable here)
- Mahoning Matters: Advocacy group says more than 113,000 Ohioans are now going without Affordable Care Act coverage
- Capital Journal: Advocacy group says more than 113,000 Ohioans are now going without Affordable Care Act Coverage.
Wisconsin
Thursday, February 19 – The Cap Times Op-Ed by Dr. Kristin Lyerly on the GOP War on Health Care: Protect Our Care Wisconsin placed an opinion piece by Dr. Kristin Lyerly outlining the damage being caused by Donald Trump and Republicans’ war on health care. In the piece, Dr. Lyerly highlights expired ACA tax credits, RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine conspiracy theories, and the $1 trillion cut from Medicaid as just a few of the Trump administration’s moves to gut Americans’ access to health care. Dr. Lyerly writes, “They ripped away ACA tax credits from nearly 22 million Americans, doubling, tripling, even quadrupling health insurance premiums for families already crushed by inflation. They put anti-vaccine conspiracy theorists like RFK Jr. in charge of our nation’s health, and now we’re seeing measles outbreaks. Measles! A disease we had essentially eliminated. We’ve had cases right here in Wisconsin. Two children in Texas are dead. They slashed over $1 trillion from Medicaid, gutting the health care lifeline for rural communities and small towns that were already hanging on by a thread. And for what? To give tax breaks to billionaires and corporations.” You can read the full op-ed here.