Washington, D.C. – New data released today by the Center for American Progress (CAP) shows a family of four will be paying an extra $3,000 for marketplace coverage due to Republican sabotage, while House Republicans gear up to advance politically-motivated legislation that will provide no relief for the higher health care costs Republicans have caused American families.
CAP’s analysis — and this shameless political posturing of House Republicans — comes nearly a year to the day after Americans rose up to stop the repeal of the Affordable Care Act in the Senate. All this time later, health care remains a top issue for voters because of the GOP’s ongoing campaign to sabotage health care and the higher costs and havoc it has caused all people, but especially those with pre-existing conditions, women, and people over age 50.
“These bills do nothing to roll back the premium increases caused by the Republican tax bill, the Administration’s relentless sabotage campaign, and the uncertainty in the markets caused by Republicans’ repeated efforts at repeal. The premiums Americans will see next year will be too high by thousands of dollars, on top of the massive increases we are already paying this year because of the intentional, deliberate acts of Republican war on health care. We wish Republicans would work with us to advance bipartisan, popular reforms to reverse the damage they’ve done and bring costs back down for consumers. But as this week’s events show, they are only interested giving themselves political cover before they face their constituents this fall,” said Leslie Dach, chair of Protect Our Care.
ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND:
GOP Sabotage Has Persisted for 18 Months, and Has Caused Massive Premium Increases
- Last year, Republican sabotage pushed 2018 insurance premiums up by a national average of 37 percent and this year GOP sabotage has resulted in 2019 premium increases in all but two states where the data is available.
- Among the findings in CAP’s report released today, in 2019:
- A typical family of four will see a marketplace premium that is $3,110 higher.
- A 55-year-old couple will see a premium $3,330 higher on average.
- An unsubsidized 40-year-old will pay an extra $970 on average.
- Meanwhile, other acts of sabotage would eliminate protections for people with pre-existing conditions and raise costs. View a comprehensive list of acts of health care sabotage here.
A Year After Repeal Defeated in the Senate, Health Care is the Top Issue to Voters, and May be the Issue that Most Influences the Midterm Elections
- A new Protect Our Care-PPP poll released yesterday found voters will support candidates who want to improve the ACA rather than repeal it, and strongly oppose the Trump Administration going to court to overturn protections for people with pre-existing conditions.
- In June, the Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll found health care to be the top issue for voters, ranked higher than all issues, including the economy and jobs.
- A June NBC News poll found health care to be top midterm issue.
- In a May CBS News poll, voters said health care is the most important issue in deciding who to vote for Congress in November.
- A year ago, ACA repeal bills were among the least popular pieces of major legislation in history. When the House was considering the “American Health Care Act,” (AHCA) polls at the time showed it to be the most unpopular piece of major legislation Congress had considered in decades. Then, the so-called Graham-Cassidy repeal bill had a 24 percent approval, even more unpopular than the AHCA.
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