ICYMI: Reps. McDonald Rivet, Lee, Horsford Lead Battleground Democrats in Demanding Congress Extend ACA Tax Credits

WASHINGTON- Today, Representatives Kristen McDonald Rivet (MI-08), Susie Lee (NV-03), and Steven Horsford (NV-04) led three dozen battleground House Democrats in sending a letter to Congressional Leadershipcalling for the extension of the ACA tax credits. These tax credits are set to expire at the end of this year, and if they are not extended, health insurance premiums will skyrocket for working families across the country.

The letter and press conference follow Speaker Johnson's recent commentsabout the tax credits saying, "That's a December policy issue." At the press conference, the battleground members pushed back, highlighting how insurance premiums will be set in October and rate notices will subsequently be sent to families.

Congresswoman McDonald Rivet said, "In my district alone, the average cost increase is going to be about $730… This is very real money… Our costs are already too high. Food, school supplies, electricity rates are rising. This is not the right thing to do. And the American people are demanding, demanding that we protect their health care."

Congresswoman Lee said, "Americans demand this. It's not just going to be the 85,000 people in Nevada who rely on the tax credit, it's going to be every Nevadan. They are going to see their insurance costs increase … These are unbearable increases for these families. They are the types of increases that break families, potentially pushing them into homelessness … These credits have been a lifeline, and we have to do everything we can in our power to fight, to make sure that they do not expire."

Congressman Horsford said, "We have three very simple points: cancel the cuts, lower the costs, and save health care for millions of Americans. This issue, as my colleagues have talked about, is on top of the cuts to Medicaid, it's on top of the cuts to research and children's research, it's on top of the cuts to roll back affordability on prescription drugs, it's on top of the cuts to nursing homes and the community health centers. Taken together, it's the largest cut in the history of our country to the health care system."

Kenny Capps, a cancer survivor from Black Mountain, NC, whose family relies on the ACA tax credits, said, "I'm a father, a husband, and I'm a cancer survivor… This is an issue that keeps me up at night. Can I pay for my health insurance? Or can I pay the mortgage on my house?… And that's what's at stake: my ability and the ability of millions of Americans to have health insurance. If Congress does not act, people just like me will face hundreds of thousands of dollars in higher premiums each year. At a time of economic uncertainty and rising costs, I know that I can't take on that kind of financial burden… Patients like me cannot wait. For us, health insurance doesn't just make life more comfortable. It makes life possible."

If the ACA tax credits expire, the millions of Americans who rely on them will be forced to spend hundreds of dollars more just to keep their current plan. A typical family will see their insurance bills nearly double, and more than 4 million peoplewill lose coverage entirely. In mid-Michigan, the 26,000 people on the ACA Marketplace will see their premiums increase by an average of $730.