Senator Murray Warns Republicans Are Causing Health Care Costs to Skyrocket as Washington Insurers Announce 21% Average Rate Increase for Next Year

ICYMI: Senator Murray, Health Insurance Marketplace Experts Lay Out How Republicans' Refusal to Extend Health Care Tax Credits Will Spike Premiums & Health Care Costs for Millions

Murray: "This latest announcement of a brutal 21 percent average rate hike for health insurers in Washington state just goes to show that if Republicans continue to refuse to work with Democrats to extend these tax credits, working families will quite literally pay the price."

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), senior member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement in response to the news that insurers in Washington state have been approved for a 21 percent rate increase for 2026 individual health plans on the state's exchange.

Senator Murray helped pass the enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits into law in 2021 and extend them in 2022, and has introduced multiple pieces of legislation-including the Health Care Affordability Act-that would make them permanent. Senator Murray has repeatedly pressed Republicans to take action on this issue, and recently held a press conference with Washington Health Benefit Exchange CEO Ingrid Ulrey on how Republicans' refusal to extend the ACA tax credits will spike premiums and raise health care costs for families and small businesses in Washington state.

"Republicans made a choice a few months ago: they decided to shovel trillions of dollars at the richest people in the world, while doing jack-squat for the millions of families who rely on health care tax credits that expire this year.

"This latest announcement of a brutal 21 percent average rate hike for health insurers in Washington state just goes to show that if Republicans continue to refuse to work with Democrats to extend these tax credits, working families will quite literally pay the price.

"If we are going to avert disaster and stop the largest health insurance price increases in years, then Republicans need to do the right thing and work with Democrats to extend these tax credits for working families. I stand ready to work with them on extending these critical health tax credits that families and small businesses rely on and taking other steps to bring down the cost of health care."

The announcement of the upcoming rate hike comes after months of Senator Murray and other Democrats warning Republicans that failing to extend the health care tax credits would lead to higher health care costs for families. As Republicans pursued a reconciliation bill that showered trillions in tax cuts on some of the wealthiest people in the country, they also voted down Democratic efforts to extend health care tax credits for working families through an amendment three different times.

Senator Murray is a cosponsor of the Health Care Affordability Act that would make permanent the ACA premium tax credits that help middle-class families afford health care. She also joined the entire Senate Democratic caucus in introducing new legislation this summer that would repeal the devastating health care cuts-primarily to Medicaid-that Senate Republicans passed in their partisan reconciliation bill, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and permanently extend the ACA premium tax credits.

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