ICYMI: Kelly Hears Directly from Health Care Experts and Arizonans Impacted by Republican Inaction on ACA Tax Credits

In case you missed it, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly joined a press call with health care experts and Arizonans who are already seeing their health insurance premiums spiking because Republicans refuse to work with Democrats on a solution. These Arizonans shared perspective and personal stories about how losing ACA tax credits will make coverage more expensive than last year.

The event came as roughly 370,000 Arizonans saw their health care premiums surge when ACA open enrollment began on November 1, 2025. Kelly has been warning that rising health care costs are squeezing Arizona families.

Sen. Kelly speaks to (from left to right, top to bottom) Morgan Finkelstein (Protect our Care), Courtney Deer, Dr. Neil Singhai, and Michelle Jernigan

Watch the full call here. See key excepts below:

Kelly on how he's fighting to stop premiums from increasing in Congress…

"I'm going to keep pushing my Republican colleagues on this and doing it today but also push the President to end this chaos and deliver real relief for Arizona families, because nobody in Arizona or across the country should have to choose between putting food on the table and paying for their health care. And nobody, no family, no individual, should be one emergency, either an accident or an illness, away from bankruptcy. […]

This was the way that they were going to pay, partially pay, for the big, giant tax cut for rich people, and they [Republicans] are dug in on that."

Dr. Neil Singhai, Pediatric Anesthesiologist, on how access to care saves children's lives…

"These credits have helped millions of Americans afford their coverage, and I've seen firsthand how that access changes lives. From a fourteen-year-old cheerleader who fractured her spine due to a fall that was able to get pain relief from a spinal fusion, to a four-year-old with a heart murmur who was able to get the hole in their heart repaired by getting access to a pediatric cardiologist. […]

Health care is not a partisan issue, it's a moral one, and as doctors, we don't ask who you voted for before we treat you, and Congress shouldn't either."

Michelle on the challenges faced by self-employed families…

"I spend about $16,000 a year currently on my own individual health plan that does not include my five kids and my husband. […] Going from a $5000 out of pocket, max $8000 to potentially going to a $10,000 deductible, that is extreme, especially as somebody who doesn't always know when I will be getting paid next."

Courtney on how premium increases threatens her access to lifesaving care…

"I also have Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's disease, so insurance is really, really important. The last few years for just my husband and I, has been about $915 a month[…] When I went into the marketplace the other day to look at the 2026 values, or numbers, that went up to about $1,342 a month with worse coverage, so a higher deductible and higher out of pocket costs for every visit that I have to go to to stay alive. […]

I'm assuming that my 401K, I'm not going to be able to contribute as much. I don't think I'm going to have a savings anymore. We may go down to something like one vehicle. There's going to be a lot of things that are going to be changing in our lives and not for the better."