Durbin Calls On Republicans To Extend ACA Enhanced Premium Tax Credits

Durbin Calls On Republicans To Extend ACA Enhanced Premium Tax Credits

Last week, in a bipartisan vote, the House overcame GOP objections to pass a bill extending ACA enhanced premium tax credits for three years to prevent millions of Americans from losing health care coverage

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today took to the Senate floor to urge Senate Republicans to join Senate Democrats in voting to extend the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits. As Durbin made clear in his remarks, millions of Americans have relied on these tax credits to afford their health insurance, yet Republican lawmakers opted to allow the ACA enhanced premium tax credits to expire.

"Against the direction and wishes of the Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, 17 House Republicans joined every Democrat in the House to vote for an extension of the Affordable Care Act's enhanced premium tax credits," Durbin began.

Durbin emphasized the importance of these enhanced premium tax credits, which have allowed millions of Americans, including upwards of 500,000 Illinoisans, to afford their health insurance. Without these enhanced premium tax credits, more than four million Americans are expected to lose their health care coverage this year, while millions more will see their premiums double or triple.

"Last year, 22 million Americans relied on these tax credits to be able to afford their health insurance. But on January 1st, those credits expired because the Republican-controlled Congress refused to extend them. Because these tax credits have lapsed, millions of Americans are being forced to drop their health insurance or to pay double or triple for their health care plans. Families are already struggling with the expenses they face every single day - grocery prices, electric bills, mortgage payments. We shouldn't add health insurance to that list," Durbin said.

Durbin concluded his remarks by calling on his Senate colleagues to work across the aisle to find a path forward that would extend these enhanced premium tax credits and help millions of Americans afford their health care.

"The House has done its part. The only barrier to putting a bill on the President's desk is this body, the United States Senate. Last month, Senate Democrats voted to extend the tax credits. Four Republicans joined us, but we fell short of the 13 we needed to get the job done. Now we have another chance. There is no excuse for further delay. We can act this week to avoid this health care catastrophe," Durbin said. "I've spoken to colleagues on both sides of the aisle who have said that they want to make health care more affordable… Extending the premium tax credits is the only way to do that immediately."

"Let's come together on a bipartisan basis and surprise everybody. We can help provide Americans with the peace of mind that their families need to give them coverage if there's a bad diagnosis, an accident, a tough hospitalization," Durbin concluded his remarks.

To combat the rising cost of health care, congressional Democrats implemented ACA enhanced premium tax credits through the American Rescue Plan in 2021 and extended them in the Inflation Reduction Act through the end of 2025. As a result of these enhanced premium tax credits, the number of Americans covered on the ACA's marketplace increased from 11 million in 2020 to 24 million in 2025. Despite millions of Americans relying on these enhanced premium tax credits, most congressional Republicans have refused to act to extend them, consequently threatening health care coverage for Americans that cannot otherwise afford to pay for their premiums. This is in addition to the nearly $1 trillion in cuts congressional Republicans made to Medicaid in the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was passed at the direction of President Trump in order to fund tax breaks for billionaires.

Video of Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor is available here.

Audio of Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor is available here.

Footage of Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.

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