Leader Schumer Floor Remarks Calling On Republicans To Work With Democrats To Ease The Burden Of Surging Healthcare Costs With Open Enrollment Beginning

Washington, D.C. - Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor urging Republicans to work with Democrats to solve the Republican-created crisis of rising healthcare costs now that open enrollment has begun. Below are Senator Schumer's remarks, which can also be viewed here:

Open enrollment is now upon us.

Twenty-four million Americans are now making agonizing decisions, agonizing decisions about what healthcare plans they choose, if they even choose one, are able to afford one, about how much more they'll be able to pay, and if they can afford healthcare at all.

I want to be very clear-this open enrollment is not like open enrollment of previous years.

Never have American families faced a situation where their healthcare costs are set to double, double in the blink of an eye.

But that's the reality, if you're an average American on an ACA plan, you live with that.

The average American on an ACA plan will pay 114% more out of pocket.

Four million Americans will lose health insurance entirely.

A 60-year old couple earning 85,000 could pay a staggering $22,600 more a year. How the hell are they going to be able to afford that?

And make no mistake: some states will suffer more than others.

Here are the states that have seen the biggest increase in enrollment because of the tax credits: Louisiana. Tennessee. West Virginia. Mississippi. In other words, red states.

The biggest beneficiaries of these enhanced premium tax credits are red states. Millions of people in Texas, Florida.

Republicans seem ready to tell their own constituents back home: screw you, I would rather cut taxes for billionaires.

That's what's going on. Democrats are going to keep pushing to get these tax credits extended.

We've asked Republicans to vote for it three times. They've voted it down three times.

We're not asking for anything radical. Lowering people's healthcare costs is the definition of common sense and what Americans want all across the spectrum.

We want only what a vast majority of Americans already need and want. We want to see these tax credits extended.

The Senate deserves to see a serious negotiation when it comes to healthcare. Republicans' outrageous delay has already cost Americans far too much.

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