Rep. Scott: “These policies will lead to dramatic premium spikes and coverage losses for millions of Americans.”
Today, Congressman Bobby Scott, Arizona State Representative Consuelo Hernandez, Maryland State Delegate Ashanti Martinez, Virginia State Delegate Adele McClure, and Georgia State Representative Jasmine Clark participated in a press call hosted by Defend America Action to discuss Donald Trump’s health care crisis, and how Republicans ending Affordable Care Act tax credits will do immeasurable harm to their states, communities, and constituents.
The speakers highlighted how the Affordable Care Act tax credits have been a lifeline for the people they serve, helping millions of Americans afford their premiums. If Trump and Congressional Republicans succeed in ending those tax credits, it will gut health care access across the country. Trump’s self-inflicted health care crisis will strip coverage from 15 million Americans, drive up costs for millions more, and force hundreds of hospitals to close – all to pay for massive tax breaks for big corporations and the ultra-wealthy. Instead of fixing these problems for the American people, Trump and Republicans shut the government down instead.
“These policies will lead to dramatic premium spikes and coverage losses for millions of Americans. Failure to extend the ACA tax credits will cause about 4 million Americans to lose health insurance and increase premiums for many who buy coverage on the ACA marketplace,” said U.S. Representative Bobby Scott. “Three rural clinics in Virginia have already announced they’re closing as a direct result of the Republican policies and the health care crisis they’ve created.”
“People like a sixty year old couple in my district who had premiums in the $560 range are looking at paying over $2,000 if there’s not a solution that is negotiated when the Republicans come to the table,” said Arizona State Representative Consuelo Hernandez. “It will have considerable impact for people in my district and across Arizona, because 400,000 Arizonans are on a health care plan through the ACA.”
“In Maryland, about 78% of people who purchase individual policies through the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange receive some level of reduction in premium through the federal advance premium tax credits. Ultimately, that’s about 180,000 Marylanders who, without this extension, would be forced to pay 929 more dollars a year on average for their insurance coverage,” said Maryland State Delegate Ashanti Martinez. “We’re really looking at a crisis of the Republicans’ making in that we’re going to have increased hospital wait times. We’re going to have our emergency rooms flooded with individuals seeking care.”
“This latest health care crisis that was created by the Republicans is adding insult to injury, and my community is still reeling from those firings, those furloughs, those reductions in force, and now many of those same families are being told that their health care costs could skyrocket,” said Virginia State Delegate Adele McClure. “To make matters worse, we’re continuing to feel those effects of the Republican-led government shutdown that not only deepens confusion, it also deepens financial strain for these families.”
“People sometimes need to go to the doctor on a regular basis, and if your plan is so expensive that you can’t pay for it from month to month, this impacts not only your care, but it makes it harder on your providers to make sure that they’re providing you the best care possible,” said Georgia State Representative Jasmine Clark. “And so we as a nation have to come together and make a decision, and decide that we are going to do better for the people. We are going to fight for people’s health care. We are not going to stand down as Republicans and the Trump administration attack people’s health care and try to take it away.”
BACKGROUND
Trump and Republicans rammed a deeply unpopular, unaffordable tax break for the wealthiest people in the country through Congress, and they’re paying for it by taking away critical tax credits that make health care affordable for tens of millions of working families. This is a health care crisis created by Republicans and rather than fix it, they are keeping the government shut down.
- TAKING AWAY CRITICAL TAX CREDITS & RAISING COSTS ON AMERICAN FAMILIES: Without these tax credits, health care costs will more than double for over 20 million Americans
- TENS OF MILLIONS FACING HIGHER HEALTH CARE COSTS: In a matter of weeks, 24 million Americans who buy insurance on their own will see their premiums skyrocket. If Republicans wait until the very last minute to extend the tax credits, underlying premiums will be 4 percent higher because of the delay.
- MORE AMERICANS UNINSURED EVERY DAY: Nearly 5 million people will have their health care ripped away and become uninsured due to Republicans ending premium tax credits – and there is no time to waste. If Republicans wait until the very last minute to extend the tax credits, an additional 1.5 million Americans will lose life-saving coverage as a result of the delay.
- HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF JOBS KILLED: An estimated 286,000 jobs nationwide will be lost due to lower economic output as a result of Republicans ending premium tax credits.
- GEORGIANS WHO BUY HEALTH INSURANCE ON THEIR OWN WILL PAY HUNDREDS MORE FOR HEALTH CARE: There are over 1.4 million Georgians who buy health insurance on their own through the state’s ACA marketplace who will be forced to pay $539 more each year on average for their health insurance.
- ARIZONANS WHO BUY HEALTH INSURANCE ON THEIR OWN WILL PAY HUNDREDS MORE FOR HEALTH CARE: There are more than 370,000 Arizonans who buy health insurance on their own through the state’s ACA marketplace who will be forced to pay $639 more each year on average for their health insurance.
- MARYLANDERS WHO BUY HEALTH INSURANCE ON THEIR OWN WILL PAY HUNDREDS MORE FOR HEALTH CARE: There are more than 180,000 Marylanders who buy health insurance on their own through the state’s ACA marketplace who will be forced to pay $929 more each year on average for their health insurance.
- VIRGINIANS WHO BUY HEALTH INSURANCE ON THEIR OWN WILL PAY HUNDREDS MORE FOR HEALTH CARE: There are more than 325,000 Virginians who buy health insurance on their own through the state’s ACA marketplace who will be forced to pay $731 more each year on average for their health insurance.
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