A Fairfax County woman joined Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill last week (Wednesday) to call for action with substantial increases to health care costs on the horizon.
With the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced premium tax credits slated to expire at the end of the year, 57-year-old Lili Combs stands to see her annual health insurance premiums increase by nearly $1,000, she said steps from the U.S. Capitol building.
“I am currently trying to get all my preventive appointments in — my mammogram, my physical and my colonoscopy — because I don’t know how long I will have health care,” she said in a press conference with members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus.
Combs, who works in Tysons, noted that her yearly deductible is expected to jump by $1,600, even after she downgraded her plan.
“I know I am just one of hundreds of thousands of Virginians who will face tough choices, and many will drop their entire health plan,” Combs said. “This feels like a death sentence for so many people.”
Combs was joined by a slate of lawmakers that included Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and Massachusetts Rep. Katherine Clark, who serves as House Minority Whip.
“Ask a mom anywhere, ask caretakers anywhere, and they’ll tell you this is a catastrophe for working families,” Clark said.
The debate over whether to extend the credits — commonly referred to as federal health insurance subsidies — had been at the center of the recent federal government shutdown, which lasted a record 43 days before coming to an end last Thursday (Nov. 13).
Implemented in 2021, the credits are intended to assist individuals who made too much money to qualify for Medicaid but still can’t afford the premiums for insurance plans on the ACA marketplace, thereby expanding eligibility for qualifying plans.
While most Democrats in both chambers of Congress sought guarantees to extend the credits, eight Senate Democrats — including Virginia Senator Tim Kaine — gave their support to Republicans on a deal that ultimately reopened the government.
“Today we’re sending a clear message that we will never give in to extortion,” President Donald Trump said after signing the legislation.
In place of a guaranteed extension, Democrats received a promise from Republicans that the Senate will hold a vote on an extension of the credits by mid-December. House Speaker Mike Johnson hasn’t offered a similar guarantee.
Republicans hold narrow majorities in both chambers of Congress.
“They do not share the value of health care for Americans,” Pelosi said of Republicans at Wednesday’s press conference. “What they share is the value of giving tax breaks to the richest people in America instead. ‘Cruel’ is almost a gentle word to describe how vile their policies are.”
Republicans have long sought to repeal and replace the ACA — which they labeled derisively as “Obamacare” in reference to then-president Barack Obama — since it became law in 2010.
“Obamacare has failed us. Cost has skyrocketed,” Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) told reporters last week. “The way to fix it is, any Obamacare subsidies go to the individual through an HSA and then allow people to buy whatever plan that fits their family.”
