Washington, D.C. – Today, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) joined Protect Our Care and health care advocates to call on the GOP to put an end to their health care crisis and pass a budget that puts hardworking families over billionaires. Since taking power, Republicans and Donald Trump have launched an unrelenting assault on the nation’s health care system and thrown our entire health care system into chaos – all to fund tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations. Now they’re holding the government hostage to rip away health care tax credits from over 20 million Americans, and they refuse to find a solution that meets the needs of everyday people.
“Republicans have driven American families into one of the greatest healthcare crises we’ve ever seen,” said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. “We shouldn’t even be here right now. Three times we’ve asked the Republicans to extend the ACA tax credits, and they voted it down every single time because they’re too focused on tax breaks for another more important constituency – their billionaire donors. Now, House Republicans are getting paid and not working, while federal workers are working and not getting paid. It’s time to negotiate, because otherwise people will lose insurance, get sick, and go bankrupt. And that’s an absolutely devastating prospect for millions of Americans.”
“I have spoken to many people back in Washington state who are seeing the numbers, and they really have no idea how they’re going to afford health care if Republicans let their premiums double,” said Senator Patty Murray. “Notices are in the mail. Window shoppers are logging on right now. Open enrollment is starting. Every second that Republicans delay, this problem will get harder to solve. We are here to make sure they understand that, and to remind them that Democrats have always been at the table, ready to work on a solution.”
“My husband’s premium would increase threefold to $1,131 a month if the credits are not extended,” said Leslie McNamara, Commissioner of Three Rivers Hospital in Brewster, Washington. “This is around 25 percent of our combined monthly income – we simply can’t afford this. We will likely have to make the tough choice to go uninsured. We and many other Americans have difficult decisions ahead of us, and it’s both frustrating and terrifying.”
“New York’s health plan marketplace and the federal premium tax credits that allowed me to afford a plan that meets my needs have been a critical lifeline for me,” said Jeremy Koulish of Hudson Valley, New York. “Downgrading my coverage isn’t just a number. It will have a direct impact on my health and my life. This may be a game to Republicans and their billionaire supporters who will never have to worry about the cost of their own platinum-plated health care, but for normal Americans like myself, this is no game at all.”
“Republicans didn’t see a problem in giving a massive tax break to people who don’t need the money, but they’re more than happy to shut down the government to force working people to lose their health insurance or make difficult choices about what they can afford in their lives,” said Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach. “This is a very simple problem to solve if Republicans are willing to solve it, but apparently they’re not, and the American people are going to burn with anger over this.”