Republicans Betray the American People, Cause Millions to Lose Health Care
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Senate failed to pass a Democrat-offered proposal for a clean three-year extension of the ACA health insurance subsidies that are set to expire at the end of December. Senators also voted down a competing proposal from Senators Crapo and Cassidy which sought to eliminate the ACA credits altogether and put those funds into health savings accounts.
Robert Weissman, co-president of Public Citizen, issued the following statement:
“Republicans chose to be the Grinch that stole Christmas and refused to pass an extension of the ACA premium tax credits right before the holidays. The direct result will be massive increases – doubling or more – insurance premiums for 20 million Americans and four million more Americans losing insurance coverage altogether.
“Even the Republican alternative – which preposterously proposed to give small checks to Americans that wouldn’t begin to offset the increased costs they will experience – couldn’t garner the votes of all Republican Senators. Everyone should be clear about what’s going on: Republicans chose to pay for massive tax breaks for billionaires and corporations by slashing healthcare for Americans. As a result, 20 million Americans will lose health care coverage and we’ll all pay higher premiums.
“American health care is in need of fundamental reform, ultimately requiring Medicare for All, to ensure everyone can get the health care they need. The last thing we need is move away from the core tenet of expanding access and making health care more affordable. But that’s what Republicans have done to pay for tax cuts for billionaires and now they must explain their callousness to voters, who will not be pleased that they are playing politics while Americans suffer.”