Washington, D.C. – Tomorrow, the House is expected to vote on Democrats’ clean 3-year extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits, which has gained majority and bipartisan support in the House and Senate. Right now, nearly 22 million Americans are seeing their health care premiums double, triple, and even quadruple in cost because Republicans prioritized tax breaks for GOP billionaires and big corporations over providing relief for working people. With open enrollment well underway, countless Americans are facing an impossible choice: keep their health coverage or pay the bills and risk going uninsured.
In response, Protect Our Care President Brad Woodhouse released a statement:
“The House and Senate must act now to pass a clean three-year extension of the current tax credits – the best and only plan with majority, bipartisan support that is proven to work for the American people. These tax credits have lowered costs, expanded access to care, and helped deliver the lowest uninsured rate in the nation’s history. No other plan has garnered this level of support, and lawmakers should reject any alternative that raises costs and undermines coverage for the American people. With every day that passes, hard-working families are logging on to see their premiums have skyrocketed and grappling with choices like paying rent, feeding their children, postponing life-changing surgeries, or forgoing coverage altogether. Time is running out. This is the last train leaving the station and Republicans must act now.”
Background:
GOP premium hikes:
- Double or triple premiums for over 20 million hardworking Americans including small business owners, farmers, and older adults.
- Rip health care away from over 4 million Americans to pay for tax breaks for corporations like Big Pharma and billionaires like Elon Musk.
- Force middle class families to pay $300 billion more in health care costs while CEOs and yacht owners pocket nearly $1 trillion in tax breaks.
- Force one in three Americans buying health care on their own to reduce their coverage and pay thousands more each year in health care costs.
- Pressure countless families to cut back on food, clothing, and other basics to afford health insurance and greater out-of-pocket costs.
- Cut $30 billion from hospitals and clinics at a time over 600+ facilities across the country are already folding under the weight of GOP Medicaid cuts.
AARP issued a statement pushing for a 3-year extension of the tax credits, noting that some older Americans are the hardest hit by higher premiums and being asked to pay as much as 30 percent of their income for health care. See how older couples are hit by the GOP’s scheme to rip away ACA tax credits:
- A 60-year-old couple making $85,000 a year in Key Largo, Florida, will be forced to pay $4,801 more a month and $57,613 more a year — more than two-thirds of their annual income — to stay on the same health plan next year.
- A 60-year-old couple making $85,000 a year in Carbondale, Illinois, will be forced to pay $5,020 more a month and $60,244 more a year — more than two-thirds of their annual income — to stay on the same health plan next year.
- A 60-year-old couple making $85,000 a year in Chesterfield, West Virginia, will be forced to pay $3,882 more a month and $46,487 more a year — more than half their annual income — to stay on the same health plan next year.
- A 60-year-old couple making $85,000 a year in Sheridan, Wyoming, will be forced to pay $4,135 more a month and $49,621 more a year — more than half their annual income — to stay on the same health plan next year.