Ahead of Senate Vote, Shaheen, Warner Hold Spotlight Forum on the Disastrous Impacts of ACA Tax Credit Expiration

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), author of bicameral legislation to permanently extend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits, and Mark Warner (D-VA) hosted a spotlight forum underscoring the urgent need for Congress to extend the soon-expiring tax credits that have made health care more affordable for tens of millions of Americans. The spotlight forum, entitled “The Cost of Inaction: Why Congress Must Extend the Enhanced Premium Tax Credits”, featured several Democratic Senators and five witnesses and came ahead of a Senate vote Thursday on a Democratic proposal to extend the tax credits. Click HERE to watch the full forum and click HERE for media files.

In addition to Shaheen and Warner, Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Peter Welch (D-VT), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Chris Coons (D-DE) spoke at the forum. Witnesses included: Katie Keith, Director of Georgetown University’s Center for Health Policy and the Law at the O’Neill Institute, Audrey Gasteier, Executive Director of Massachusetts Health Connector, Susan Stearns, Executive Director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) New Hampshire, Kathleen Winters, Small Business Owner in Norfolk, Virginia and Kendra Bush, a Patient Advocate in Portage, Indiana.

“The cost of inaction is too high for my Republican colleagues to ignore: It is past time for Congress to come together and pass an extension of the enhanced premium tax credits that ensure working families can afford health care. I was glad to host this forum with my colleague Senator Warner to emphasize how important these tax credits are and to hear directly from those who are going to be affected if they expire,” said Senator Shaheen. “Here in Congress, we have the opportunity to address the concerns of millions of Americans who worry about the rising cost of health care. I’m calling on my colleagues across the aisle to join us to prevent millions of Americans from losing their health insurance.”

“Today we heard from Americans and their message was clear: health care tax credits save lives. These tax credits make it possible for Americans to navigate life with the certainty that they’ll be able to see a doctor, afford medication, and receive critical care when they need it,” said Senator Warner. “In three short weeks, these and many more Americans will have to begin shouldering the financial burden of Republican inaction to the tune of hundreds of dollars per month. We cannot leave Americans in the lurch. We must extend ACA tax credits.”

Shaheen is leading efforts in Congress to make health care more affordable through the preservation and extension of the enhanced premium tax credits. Through negotiations to reopen the government, Shaheen secured a guaranteed vote by mid-December on legislation to address skyrocketing health care costs. Shaheen’s first bill introduction this Congress was her landmark Health Care Affordability Act—bicameral legislation to permanently extend the tax credits for Marketplace coverage that lower health care costs for millions of Americans.

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