Durbin On ACA Premium Crisis: No American Should Be Forced To Choose Between Their Home And Health Care

Durbin On ACA Premium Crisis: No American Should Be Forced To Choose Between Their Home And Health Care

Durbin slammed congressional Republicans' decision to remain on vacation and picnic at the White House as Americans face rising health insurance premiums

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today delivered a speech on the Senate floor criticizing congressional Republicans for allowing the government shutdown to continue because their caucus refuses to negotiate with Senate Democrats to extend the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits. If these enhanced premium tax credits are allowed to expire at the end of the year, more than four million Americans could lose their health coverage, and more than 20 million Americans are expected to see a significant rise in their premiums.

"Why is this government shut down? It's basically an issue that goes to the heart of why we occupy these chairs, why we run for these offices. Are we listening to these people who send us to Washington?" Durbin began. "And if we're listening, they are telling us that something is about to happen to them which they cannot manage and control. What is it? Health insurance policy costs are going up dramatically."

Durbin continued, "On January 1^st, those costs are going to go up an average of 114 percent. That means double-double your health insurance premium…We [Democrats] want to save them from that. All we ask is that Congress do its job. Listen to the people you represent back home, who are going to tell you, you just added a burden on my home budget [that] I can't handle."

Durbin emphasized that despite these looming health insurance premium cost increases, Republicans have refused to negotiate to re-open the government and address these premium spikes.

Durbin said, "We say on the Democratic side of the aisle: 'we were sent here to fix it, lets fix it.' When we say that to the Republicans, they'd say 'we'd rather shut down the government…' Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the Presidency, but our government has been shut down for 21 days over this issue. We have taken show vote after show vote on the Republican-crafted plan to fund government. All of them have failed."

Durbin continued, "There is an obvious way out of this…When people of good will sit down at the same table. There are thousands of pieces of furniture in this capitol building and lots of tables and chairs. Why is it we can't sit down and do it?"

Durbin slammed House Republicans for remaining on recess amid the government shutdown. The House has not been in session since September 19, over a month ago, preventing any votes or committee activity.

"How do you explain that? How do you explain men and women elected to the House of Representatives facing a looming deadline on the increase of health insurance who don't even show up for work? I talked to a number of Democratic Congressmen this morning…Every one of the [House] committees has important work to do. The Speaker of the House refuses to call them."

Durbin then pointed to statistics about the rising cost of health care, underscoring that if the ACA enhanced premium tax credits are not extended, premiums for millions of Americans will more than double. Additionally, if Republicans allow the enhanced premium tax credits to lapse, more than four million Americans are expected to lose their health care coverage altogether. In Illinois, more than 395400,000 people rely on ACA enhanced premium tax credits.

Durbin said, "In Illinois, a 60-year-old couple with an income of $82,000 could see their annual health insurance premiums increase $17,000 a year-more 254 percent… A family of four earning $64,000 could see their annual premium increase by $2,571 a year. That's a 226 percent increase… Ask any American if they can afford to pay double for their health care insurance. Most of them will tell you that they can't."

Durbin went on to share the stories of two Illinoisans who rely on ACA tax credits to afford their health care.

"Karissa wrote to me and said that she has chronic conditions and takes several medications every single day. Karissa gets cancer screenings several times a year for breast and GI cancer because she's at risk," Durbin shared. "But, if Republicans allow the increased premium tax credits to expire, Karissa said that she 'won't be able to continue these [treatments].' Think about that. What a choice to make. Your money or your life. What's going to happen if she's not able to get screened for cancer? Karissa may have been able to prevent a serious issue early on by that screening, but now she may not know until it's progressed and costs even more to treat, if it can be treated at all."

Durbin then shared the story of Ingrid from Springfield, Illinois, who uses the premium tax credits to pay for her cancer treatment.

Durbin said, "Ingrid from Springfield wrote to me, and she said she's 'in distress,' because she's afraid that she won't be able to afford her medical treatment next year. She has a disability; she's retired; she struggles to pay mortgage, utilities, student loans, and debts. Ingrid is also fighting cancer right now and needs ongoing medical treatment. When she checked her health insurance premium for next year, her jaw dropped. Ingrid wrote that all the options were quite 'impossible' for her. The cheapest option for her health insurance came with a $1,400 a month premium and a $14,000 deductible. Ingrid's worried that she may lose her home 'just to pay for basic coverage.'

"No American should be forced to choose between their home and health care, their money or their life," Durbin emphasized. "But if my Republican colleagues continue to ignore this issue, more Americans will be facing just that decision."

Durbin concluded his remarks by calling for a bipartisan effort to re-open the government and address high health care costs.

Durbin said, "This isn't rocket science. Republicans do not have 60 votes in the Senate to pass their partisan bill that fails to do anything to lower health care costs. They must work with Democrats to fund the government and prevent Ingrid, Karissa, and millions of other Americans from losing their health care."

"We could do that today. Instead of a vacation for the House and a picnic for Senate Republicans, we should be sitting down to get to work," Durbin continued. "Senator Thune and Speaker Johnson need to come not to the picnic table at the White House, but to the table of bargaining."

"House Republicans must return to Washington and go to work. Or they'll have to explain to an increasingly large group of constituents why health insurance premiums have doubled under the Republican leadership in Congress," Durbin concluded.

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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