Congressional Republicans Fail to Help Millions Afford Health Care

As more than 20 million people face imminent spikes in their health care premiums, House Republicans passed a bill today that does nothing to address this health care affordability crisis. Without congressional action, premium tax credit enhancements will expire at the end of this year, the premiums everyday people have to pay for 2026 marketplace plans will rise for nearly all marketplace enrollees, and 4 million people, including many self-employed workers and small business owners, will lose coverage.

Congressional Republicans could have followed through on their promises to help families afford the basics by extending the premium tax credit enhancements to help them enroll in affordable, comprehensive coverage. Instead, they recycled old ideas, refused to address the current affordability crisis — and made plans to go home.

In fact, the House Republicans’ answer to these problems was to pass a bill that, overall, will leave 100,000 fewer people with health coverage on top of the 4 million expected to lose coverage due to the expiration of the premium tax credits. And it will raise the premiums for millions of people with marketplace coverage even beyond the increases caused by the expiration of the premium tax credit enhancements.

Congressional Republican leaders, most Republican members of Congress, and the President continue to ignore the urgent need to prevent premium increases for marketplace enrollees that will leave millions uninsured or forced to make impossible choices, like paying for coverage or making car payments, affording groceries, and paying rent. The failure to date to address the looming premium spikes comes on top of huge cuts to Medicaid and other marketplace changes in the Republicans’ megabill that will leave even more people without coverage over time.

During this holiday season, millions of people are bracing for higher costs and considering how to make difficult tradeoffs in the new year. It is long past time for congressional Republicans and the President to solve the problem with the only solution available: extending the premium tax credit enhancements will make coverage more affordable and prevent millions from losing coverage.

On the brink of this deadline, some Republicans have recognized that the stakes for families are too high to do nothing. A House bill to extend the premium tax credit enhancements now has the required signatures on its discharge petition to force a vote on the House floor. Republican policymakers should step up and put the needs of individuals and families first.