|
More than 326,000 Virginians Are at Risk of Paying More for Health Insurance if Republicans Take Away Premium Tax Credits
|
|
Watch the Full Event Here
|
| In case you missed it, U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott (VA-03), U.S. Rep. Jennifer McClellan (VA-04), U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (VA-08), U.S. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10) and U.S. Rep. James Walkinshaw (VA-11) on Monday joined Protect Our Care Virginia to discuss the ongoing Trump-GOP health care disaster and the urgent need to stop GOP premium hikes by making Affordable Care Act enhanced Premium Tax Credits permanent. Without action from Congress, the enhanced Premium Tax Credits will expire at the end of this year.
Enhanced Premium Tax Credits have helped make health insurance affordable for 326,268 Virginians enrolled in coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and eliminating them would make health care out of reach for too many, forcing Virginians to choose between health care and other basic necessities.
While nearly 9 out of 10 Virginia shoppers qualify for these income-based enhanced Premium Tax Credits (with some paying as little as $10 per month for a plan), insurance companies are seeking to raise premiums for all shoppers as they are anticipating a smaller and sicker pool of people if the credits are allowed to expire. Most of the companies who have agreed to participate in Virginia’s marketplace in 2026 have proposed average rate increases of 20% or higher to account for those who will no longer be able to afford to buy health insurance once they lose their tax credits.
Republicans have already broken their promise to bring down costs for everyday Americans by slashing funding for Medicaid in their Big Ugly Law, and they will continue to drive up costs if they take these tax credits away. Families across the country are already paying the price of the Trump-GOP budget bill and have spoken loudly and clearly that they oppose Republicans’ ongoing assaults on health care. Three rural health clinics in Virginia have already closed as a result of the Big Ugly Law, while six rural hospitals remain at risk of closure. 350,000 Virginians are projected to lose their health care as a result of the health care cuts, but that number can be mitigated with the permanent extension of the enhanced Premium Tax Credits.
“We must stop the upcoming Republican premium hikes,” said Congressman Scott. “Without action from Congress, the enhanced Premium Tax Credits will expire at the end of this year, and the health care costs will increase for more than 326,000 Virginians. Many will face unaffordable premium increases … those that are sick will pay the higher prices. Those that are healthy might drop out, which means that the insurance pool will be sicker and they’ll have to charge higher prices.” |
| “Health care is a top issue for all of us. It always has been, and making our health care system better and more affordable has got to be one of our biggest political challenges,” said Congressman Beyer. “The greatest accomplishment of this century has been the Affordable Care Act, and the premium tax credits are an essential part of making that law work for Virginians right now. But earlier this year, when the Republicans passed their One Big Ugly Bill, it failed to extend those tax credits, and that’s going to raise health care costs for hundreds of thousands of Virginians … Republicans made the mess. They need to work with us.” |
| “I was a member of the state Senate when we expanded Medicaid, and I also carried the bill to create the Virginia health care exchange,” said Congresswoman McClellan. “And the reason we did both, just like the reason the Affordable Care Act was passed in the first place, was because we understood that costs go down when the uninsured rate goes down. The more people who have access to health insurance, the more likely they are to get the care they need before it’s too late, or before it’s too expensive …. And yet, with this bill, so many people will not be able to afford health insurance or will lose it all together – over 15 million people – but they’ll still get sick, and instead of going and getting primary care or going when something first feels wrong, they’ll show up in the emergency room when it may be too late, and it’s definitely more expensive to treat, and if they’re uninsured and they can’t pay that bill, the rest of us pay for it.” |
| “We have to do something now,” said Congressman Subramanyam. “We cannot let this continue to spiral into a national crisis. And so that’s why we’re standing up right now. This is critical. This moment right now requires us to do more than just sit back and decide that business as usual and things are normal right now … things are not normal. And so I know my colleagues agree with me, and that’s why we are united in this fight to make sure that everyone has affordable care and that this administration doesn’t continue to take away people’s access to quality affordable care.” |
| “I think one of the benefits that is not discussed enough is the benefit of the exchanges to entrepreneurs and folks who are self-employed,” said Congressman Walkinshaw. “By some estimates, 25% of folks who are on the Affordable Care Act exchanges are self-employed, and for many of them, it’s the existence of the exchanges and the affordability of the insurance on the exchanges that has allowed them to take that leap to start a business. And that’s something I hear my Republican colleagues talk about a lot … they say we should be encouraging entrepreneurship and business creation in this country. Well, if you take away affordable health care on the exchanges, millions of Americans who would like to start their own business will no longer be able to do it. And by the way, some folks who have a small business today who are doing the hardest thing you can do – get a small business off the ground — they’re learning that they might not be able to afford to keep that business going because of the Republican assault on health care.” |
| “[Republicans] are at it again. They’re coming at our health insurance, and I am one of the millions of Americans that is terrified of opening the mailbox and getting the sheet of paper that says what my premiums will be next year, because as a cancer survivor, I have to pay it,” said Laura Packard of Alexandria. “I cannot go without health insurance. So whatever they charge me, it’s what I have to pay, and if I get no help with paying for it, then I have to decide how I’m going to somehow pay for this health insurance. So millions of people are going to be going through this right now, and lives are at stake. So Republicans in Congress need to do the right thing and extend the tax subsidies now.”
“Many in the hospitality industry like myself rely on these credits to stay healthy and insured,” said Lester Johnson, who owns a restaurant in Richmond. “Before the Affordable Care Act, it was hard for small business owners and self-employed people to get health insurance, but this law has been a much-needed resource to me and my employees. I was able to sign up for a plan, and I have employees who are able to get their insurance through the marketplace as well. Premiums have been affordable for me as well as my staff … We do not want to have to come back and keep fighting this fight every year. So please make these tax credits permanent to give the small businesses and working people one less thing to worry about. Times are already tough, and we cannot afford to lose our health care.”
You can watch the full event here, and learn more about the Trump-GOP Health Care Disaster here. |
|
