Durbin To Congressional Republicans: Let Us Come Together And Give American Families The Gift Of Health Coverage For Christmas

Durbin To Congressional Republicans: Let Us Come Together And Give American Families The Gift Of Health Coverage For Christmas

On the Senate floor and following Senate Republicans rejecting the Democratic ACA proposal last week, Durbin continues to push his Republican colleagues to come to the table and negotiate with Democrats on a solution to address the looming health care crisis

WASHINGTON - As open enrollment for 2026 individual market health insurance plans is underway and Americans across the country are facing astronomic increases in their monthly premiums for next year, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke on the Senate floor about the health care affordability crisis, caused by congressional Republicans refusing to extend the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits. Last Thursday, Senate Republicans rejected Senate Democrats' proposal to extend the ACA's enhanced premium tax credits.

"In 17 days, 22 million Americans will be asked to pay double or triple for their health insurance premiums. Rural hospitals will be facing closure. Small businesses won't be able to cover expenses. And more than four million Americans will lose their insurance if we fail to do anything in Congress," Durbin said.

Shortly before the Senate held its vote on extending the ACA's enhanced premium tax credits last week, Durbin spoke on the floor about protecting Americans' health care coverage.

"Last Thursday, Senate Democrats put forward a bill to prevent this catastrophe. Our bill would have provided a clean extension of the Affordable Care Act's enhanced premium tax credits, which 22 million Americans rely on to help them pay their insurance premiums. These credits expire at the end of this year, but too many Senate Republicans voted against extending them. They instead rushed to vote on a partisan proposal that would upend the Affordable Care Act and the American health care system, less than a month before the insurance premiums spike. Their bill was introduced last week, [was] not debated in committee, and no member had a chance to amend it. I say this to my friends on the other side of the aisle: You are in the majority… You have the power to go through a serious process to reform health care," Durbin said.

In his remarks, Durbin underscored that Congress must swiftly address the rising cost of health care to ensure that Americans are not priced out of their insurance. He spoke about a constituent working at a diner in Chicago who relies on the ACA's enhanced premium tax credits to afford her insurance, but she is worried that she will not be able to afford her insurance come January.

"Each additional day we delay an extension of the enhanced premium tax credits, more Americans forgo their health insurance because it's too darn expensive. Time is running out," said Durbin. "I recently spoke to a waitress at Lou Mitchell's restaurant in Chicago. She is personally worried that she will not be able to afford her health care next year without the enhanced premium tax credits… This waitress does not care about who is winning the political fight in Washington; she cares about whether her and her family can pay for their doctors' appointments and medications. I want to go back to that restaurant soon and tell my friend that the Senate did something to help her. We can help her, so long as we act on a bipartisan basis."

Durbin concluded, "If you don't like our proposal for a clean, three-year extension, then counter with a reasonable offer. Show that there is a beating heart that cares to address the real problems Americans face. Let us come together and give American families the gift of health coverage they can afford for Christmas."

These tax credits lower health insurance premiums for more than 20 million Americans nationwide, including upwards of 500,000 Illinoisans. Due to Republicans voting against extending these enhanced premium tax credits, more than four million Americans are expected to lose their health care coverage, including more than 160,000 people in Illinois. Tens of millions of others will see their monthly premiums double or even triple.

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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