Durbin Slams Congressional Republicans For Refusing To Address Health Care Costs As Americans Are Notified Of Rising Premiums

Durbin Slams Congressional Republicans For Refusing To Address Health Care Costs As Americans Are Notified Of Rising Premiums

"Hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans go to bed each night knowing that they are one illness or accident away from heartbreak and financial ruin. I can't understand the indifference on the other side," Durbin said in his speech on the Senate floor

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senate Democrats in speaking on the floor about the health care affordability crisis, which has been manufactured by congressional Republicans as they refuse to extend the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits and end the government shutdown. If these credits are allowed to expire at the end of the year, more than four million Americans are expected to lose their health care coverage, including more than 160,000 people in Illinois.

Durbin began his remarks by highlighting the impact of the ACA, which put health care coverage within reach for millions of Americans who were uninsured, underinsured, or had preexisting conditions.

"Most people can't remember what health insurance was like before the Affordable Care Act. But do you remember when you would go to get a health insurance plan and they would say, 'do you have any preexisting conditions, ever had a surgery, ever had a broken bone, any history of cancer? If so, we're going to exclude that coverage that in your policy.' So you ended up with a health insurance policy that cost a fortune and didn't cover many possibilities," Durbin said.

"You know how many Republican votes there were for the Affordable Care Act? None. Not one. We passed it because we happened to have 60 votes in the Senate. I was one of them. Proud of it. One of the most important things I voted on," Durbin said.

"What have Republicans been doing ever since? Trying to figure out a way to rescind the Affordable Care Act and all of the protections I just mentioned. They want to go back to the 'good old days' when you couldn't buy health insurance coverage and couldn't afford it, when a lot of things that families deal with on a regular basis just weren't covered by health insurance," Durbin continued.

Durbin spoke out about the rising cost of ACA premiums and called out Republicans for refusing to extend the ACA tax credits that help Americans afford their health care coverage.

"Last week, we learned from the Department of Insurance in Illinois that Illinois residents can expect to see a nearly 80 percent average cost increase for their Affordable Care Act health plans next year-virtually doubling in the northern part of the state, tripling in the southern part of the state. Why? Because Republicans in Congress refuse to sit down with any Democrats and negotiate an extension of a crucial policy that helps tens of millions of Americans afford their health insurance," Durbin said.

Durbin shared stories from his constituents, who have already been notified that their 2026 health care premiums will skyrocket.

"Karen, lives in the suburbs of Chicago, and she wrote to me. She said, 'I'm in absolute disbelief about the increase in my ACA insurance plan… I worked hard all of my life and can't believe I will not be able, at age 62, to go from $565 a month to $1,600 a month for health insurance.' [That's] triple the amount she's currently paying. Karen concluded with this heartbreaking note: 'Please fight for those of us who will lose access to health insurance. I have a young grandchild and another on the way, I want to be able to see them grow,'" Durbin said.

In Illinois, roughly 500,000 people rely on ACA enhanced premium tax credits to afford their health care. Families in Illinois will pay an additional $2,500 on average for their health insurance next year, but many will pay much more. For families in Jackson County, the average premium would increase from $122 a month to $458 a month, totaling $4,000 in additional costs a year. Families in Effingham County will see their monthly premiums increase from $185 a month to a staggering $1,029 a month, an annual increase of more than $10,000.

Durbin emphasized that Americans in red states will also see rising costs. In Missouri, 383,000 people rely on the ACA's enhanced premium tax credits to afford their health insurance. A Missouri couple in their 60s with a household income of $85,000 would have to pay an extra $23,600 a year for their health insurance-from $7,225 a year now to $30,835 next year.

"I don't know why the Republican Senators from Missouri aren't coming to the floor to join the Democrats in protesting what's going to happen to health insurance in their state. If Congress does not extend the credits that were not renewed under the 'big, beautiful' Trump budget plan, the people in Missouri will have to pay 70 percent more for their insurance next year," Durbin said.

"How can families do this? They're struggling to get by buying groceries. The utilities are going through the roof, and now comes this added expense. Price increases of this magnitude will cause millions to lose their health insurance," Durbin said.

Durbin concluded his remarks by underscoring that congressional Republicans must end the government shutdown by negotiating with Democrats to extend these critical ACA tax credits.

"What we are saying to the Republicans is join us in a bipartisan effort to provide relief for these families that are going to pay these high premiums in Illinois and Missouri and all across the United States," Durbin said. "And yet, silence from the Republican side of the aisle."

"Hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans go to bed each night knowing that they are one illness or accident away from heartbreak and financial ruin. I can't understand the indifference on the other side," Durbin said.

"There are millions of people like those who have written to me and those I'm sure those who will learn, to their surprise, they are also victims of this. This is something that we should agree on. Everybody needs protection of health insurance for peace of mind," Durbin concluded his remarks.

Video of Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor is available here.

Audio of Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor is available here.

Footage of Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.

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