Gallego, Kelly Urge Arizona House Republicans to Return to D.C. and Work Together to Prevent Health Care Cost Spikes and End Government Shutdown

"There is no time to waste. We invite you to come back to Washington and work with us to keep Arizonans from facing higher health care costs and get the government back open."

WASHINGTON - Today, Arizona Senators Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly sent a reply to Arizona's Republican House delegation urging them to return to Washington and work together to prevent steep health care premium spikes for Arizonans and reopen the federal government.

In their letter, Gallego and Kelly warn that if Congress fails to act, the expiration of Affordable Care Act enhanced premium tax credits will cause premiums to skyrocket

for more than 300,000 Arizonans who rely on these tax credits to afford health coverage. The senators note that in the six Republican-held congressional districts alone, over 172,000 people will be impacted, with many seeing their costs double.

"Republicans and Democrats need to work together to find an agreement to reopen the government and prevent health care premiums from spiking for the Arizonans we all represent," the senators wrote. "If we do not act, these Arizonans will see sharp premium spikes when they go to purchase a new plan on November 1st. Many of them will need to pay hundreds of dollars more per month. […] The Arizonans who are going to get hit by this are hardworking people. They are small business owners who have to purchase their own plans, older Arizonans who aren't yet eligible for Medicare, and folks who live in rural Arizona and don't get health care through their employer. We've been listening to them."

Gallego and Kelly shared stories from across the state, including Arizonans like Robin, who would see her monthly premium jump from $250 to over $1,000 without the tax credits; Rusty, whose premiums could rise to $600 per month for a basic plan; and Eric, a small business owner who said the ACA subsidies made it possible for entrepreneurs to take risks and grow.

"We believe that Robin, Rusty, Eric, and the hundreds of thousands of Arizonans who will see their health care prices spike are worth fighting for. And that's what we're doing here in Washington: talking to our Republican and Democratic colleagues about how to fix this and reopen the federal government," the senators continued.

They close by urging their House colleagues to return to Washington and work together to deliver results for Arizonans: "We agree with you that there is no time to waste. So, we invite you to come back to Washington and work with us to keep Arizonans from facing higher health care costs and get the government back open."

Read the full letter HERE.

10/8/25