REPUBLICAN SHUTDOWN DAY 30: Days Away from Open Enrollment, Senator Murray Joins WA Insurance Commissioner & Constituent to Highlight High Cost of Republican Inaction for[...]

NEW FROM NEW YORK TIMES: Obamacare Prices Become Public, Highlighting Big Increases

NEW FROM KFF: ACA Insurers Are Raising Premiums by an Estimated 26%, but Most Enrollees Could See Sharper Increases in What They Pay

SEATTLE TIMES: WA residents shopping for health insurance hit with sticker shock

***WATCH PRESS CONFERENCE HERE, DOWNLOAD HERE***

Washington, D.C. - Today, on the 30^th day of the Republican government shutdown and ahead of Open Enrollment beginning nationwide this Saturday, November 1^st, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA)-Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a senior member and former chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee-held a virtual press conference with Washington State Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer and constituent Bridget Provalenko of Bellingham, whose family relies on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits to afford health insurance.

At the press conference, Senator Murray discussed how inaction by Republican Members of Congress will force Washingtonians to pay significantly more for health care next year. Last week, Washington state's ACA marketplace, Washington Healthplanfinder, opened its "window shopping" period, allowing Washingtonians to look at health coverage plans for next year-and most are seeing dramatic increases in their premiums thanks to Republican inaction. Customers can start signing up for a plan and officially shopping for coverage through Washington Healthplanfinder once Open Enrollment begins on November 1^st. On average, premiums for ACA plans in Washington state are spiking by 21 percent. Nationwide, 22 million Americans who buy health care through the ACA exchanges will see their health care costs skyrocket next year without the tax credits, premiums are more than doubling on average, and these higher costs will push 4.8 million people off their health coverage over the next decade. A Washington-state specific fact sheet on the ACA tax credits is HERE.

"Republicans don't even have the tiniest inkling of an actual health care plan! They never have. But Democrats have a pretty simple plan to address the immediate crisis: save these tax credits, and stop premiums from doubling, tripling, quadrupling, or worse. Now, Republicans may have shut down the government over this, but they will not shut down the debate. People in Washington state and across the country are not going to be silent when they log on and see their monthly premium is going to go through the roof. They are already speaking out," said Senator Murray. "There are over 220,000 people in Washington state alone who rely on the premium tax credits to afford health insurance. And that is literally just one percent of the 22 million people in the country who rely on them. In our state, families who lose their support are going to see their premiums more than double on average. I am hearing from families who have done the math and gotten their notices. They check online, and learn that their health insurance plans will cost hundreds-in some cases thousands-more each month… I am going to keep shouting it from the rooftops: later is too late. People are window shopping for health plans now. Open enrollment is this Saturday. That is when these price hikes really become a reality, and families who feel priced out of their coverage may just give up."

Senator Murray played a critical role in passing the enhanced premium tax credits in the American Rescue Plan in 2021 and extending them in the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, and she has been fighting for months to make sure these important health care tax credits don't expire, including cosponsoring multiple pieces of legislation-the Health Care Affordability Act and theProtecting Health Care and Lowering Costs Act-that would make them permanent.

"Hard working people have relied on these tax credits to buy health insurance for themselves and their families. Some of these people have serious health conditions. For them, the idea of going without coverage can literally mean the difference between life and death, unless Congress takes immediate action to extend them the enhanced premium tax credits will expire at the end of the year," saidWashington State Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer. "More than 216,000 Washingtonians in the individual market qualified for enhanced premium tax credits. That's about two thirds of our enrollees. These subsidies are what help people afford and keep coverage. If Republicans let the enhanced premium tax credits expire, the exchange estimates that up to 80,000 Washingtonians will drop their health insurance. I'm afraid this will cause us to backslide on our state's historically low 4.8 percent uninsured rate. That means higher costs and strains on our health care system. As people put off preventative care, these effects will be felt by people across the state, but will hurt some of our rural communities."

"Being self-employed, we have to go out and find our own insurance, which we have done over the past few years. Fortunately, last year, we qualified for the credits on the ACA, and it's made a huge difference. It was able to keep our premium the same as it was the prior year, which was amazing for us," said Bridget Provalenko of Bellingham, whose family uses the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Exchange to afford health insurance. "Health insurance isn't a Democrat or Republican issue, it's an American issue… I just want people to understand that health insurance is very important to people. We need it. We need to make it affordable."

Senator Murray's remarks, as delivered on today's press call, are below:

"Thank you all for joining this call today, because right now, families in Washington state and across the country are window shopping for health insurance coverage for next year. And they are coming face-to-face with the reality that their monthly premiums are set to skyrocket, all because of Republicans' inaction.

"Democrats have been clear, all year long: we want to stop these price hikes and we want to save the ACA tax credits that millions of families rely on.

"But Republicans have been silent. Or worse, they've shrugged their shoulders. They've essentially said, 'Don't look at me, I never wanted to lower health care costs in the first place.'

"So they have literally now shut the government down instead of talking with Democrats about health care. Which is probably because Republicans don't even have the tiniest inkling of an actual health care plan! They never have!

"But Democrats have a pretty simple plan to address the immediate crisis: save the tax credits, and stop premiums from doubling, tripling, quadrupling, or worse.

"Now, Republicans may have shut down the government over this, but they will not shut down the debate. People in Washington state and across the country are not going to be silent when they log on and see their monthly premium is going to go through the roof. They are already speaking out.

"There are over 220,000 people in Washington state alone who rely on the premium tax credits so they can afford their health insurance. And that is literally just one percent of the 22 million people in the country who rely on them.

"In our state, families who lose their support are going to see their premiums more than double on average. I'm hearing from families who have done the math and gotten their notices. They check online and learn that their health insurance plans will cost hundreds-in some cases thousands-more each month.

"I have heard from families trying to figure out if they can go without daily necessities-maybe have fewer, smaller meals. I have heard from small business owners wondering if they will just have to close up shop and look for a job with employer-sponsored coverage.

"I've heard from people who simply can't afford it no matter what and are just preparing to just go without health insurance entirely next year. They're skipping checkups, they're rationing prescriptions, and they're rolling the dice on their health.

"This is heartbreaking. It is happening nationwide and it is completely unacceptable to me. The Republican response has been silence. The Republican solution is 'later.'

"I am going to keep shouting it from the rooftops: later is too late. People are window shopping for health plans now. Open enrollment is this Saturday. That's when these price hikes really become a reality, and families who feel priced out of their coverage may just give up.

"Every single day Republicans waste, this problem is going to get worse and harder to solve. Every day.

"So we are not going to stop sounding the alarm. We are not going to stop lifting up the stories of real families who are facing the real price hikes Republicans want to pretend don't exist. And we are not going to stop demanding they join us at the table, and work on actually solving this and reopening the government as soon as possible.

"If Republicans want to bury their heads in the sand or plug their ears, that's their choice. But guess what? We are going to bring a shovel. We will bring a megaphone. And we will do everything we can to make sure the American people are heard.

"So thank you all for being here, and I'm glad to be joined by two people who can speak about this issue firsthand: Patty Kuderer, our Insurance Commissioner in Washington state; and Bridget from Bellingham. Bridget, thank you for being here to share your story."

###