CONGRESSMAN JOE MORELLE CALLS FOR ACTION ON REPUBLICAN HEALTHCARE CRISIS
Underscores fight to ensure every American has access to affordable, high-quality healthcare
Uplifts stories of local families whose lives would be thrown into turmoil by insurance cost increases
(Rochester, N.Y.)—Today, Congressman Joe Morelle, alongside parents and families from the Rochester region, highlighted the rising healthcare costs that are forcing too many people to choose between care and survival.
“The birth of a child should be one of the happiest and most hopeful days in a family’s life, not the start of overwhelming financial hardship,” said Congressman Joe Morelle. “Without an extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits, far too many parents could find themselves facing insurmountable financial hardship in the days and weeks after welcoming their baby. This isn’t about politics or policy, it’s about people whose lives could be forever changed if they lost access to affordable healthcare. We owe it to every family to make sure a visit to the hospital never means going broke.”
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) established premium tax credits (PTCs) to make health insurance more affordable for individuals and families purchasing plans through the Health Insurance Marketplace. Under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and extended in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022—the PTCs were expanded, or “enhanced” to add eligibility for lower health insurance premiums to Americans whose income exceeds 400% of the federal poverty level.
Currently, there are about 6.7 million New Yorkers enrolled in health insurance via the state’s NY State of Health Marketplace, and over 1.6 million of those people benefit from the enhanced PTCs, including about 46,500 in the Rochester region alone. If the enhanced PTCs were to expire, families in our community would see premiums increase by an average of 41% per month, or roughly $120/month.
Republicans in Congress and the Trump administration have spoken against extending these credits, calling them vehicles for waste and fraud. This comes on the heels of Republican-led legislation that kicks an estimated 15 million Americans off Medicaid and other drastic changes to critical federal programs.
“Republicans do not believe healthcare is a priority—plain and simple,” continued Morelle. “These aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet, these are real, human lives at risk, and I won’t stand idly by as their healthcare costs grow exponentially.”
To learn more about Congressman Morelle’s long-standing commitment to fighting for the high-quality, affordable healthcare people deserve, visit his website here.
###