Washington D.C — Not satisfied with ripping Medicaid coverage away from millions of Americans, Senate Republicans voted today to end expanded Affordable Care Act tax credits, meaning over 20 million Americans will see their monthly premiums skyrocket and millions could lose access to health care coverage entirely.
Their vote on Affordable Care Act tax credits come as the tariffs they voted to keep in place continue to jack up prices on basic necessities, and the Republican Tax Law is already forcing health clinics to shut down in areas that need them most. Health charities are also sounding the alarm, saying that medical debt will be out of control and more people could die unnecessarily if Congress fails to extend health care tax credits.
“Thanks to Senate Republicans’ votes today, health care costs are set to skyrocket for millions of working families already living on tight budgets,” said former Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure who oversaw HealthCare.Gov and health insurance marketplace coverage. “Affordable Care Act tax credits are a lifeline for more than 20 million Americans. Not only do they make it possible for people to afford coverage, but they empower them to select the plan that reflects their healthcare needs. By voting against them, congressional Republicans are willfully triggering premium hikes of hundreds or even thousands of dollars overnight and forcing working families to choose between their prescriptions and their car payment.”
“As a cancer survivor now battling MS, I’m terrified,” said Diane Holland, a former teacher in Okemos, Michigan (MI-07). “Today, Senate Republicans voted to end the tax credits that help me and millions of others afford the care we need. It’s shocking that congressional Republicans gave even more tax breaks to billionaires yet are cutting the tax credits working people rely on to pay for health coverage.”
“Senate Republicans have somehow found another way to make life and health care even more unaffordable for American families,” said Unrig Our Economy Campaign Director Leor Tal. “Their vote to cut health care tax credits will add higher health care costs to the growing pile of price increases Republicans have already forced on working people, from groceries to heating bills to holiday shopping. They spent the first half of the year handing out even more tax breaks to billionaires to pay for historic cuts to Medicaid and other programs that help families make ends meet. They’re ending it by breaking health care for everyone else.”
To learn more about the campaign, visit UnrigOurEconomy.com or contact press@unrigoureconomy.com
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About Unrig Our Economy
Unrig Our Economy is a national campaign to fix the rules of our economy to make it work for working people. We know that when the middle class does well, all of us do well — which is why we’re fighting on behalf of working Americans and holding corporations, their wealthy executives, and the politicians who enable them accountable.