JUST IN: Chuck Schumer Leads Press Briefing On The Need To Expand Health Care Credits

Well, thank you, and I want to thank everybody for being here. I want to thank Leslie Dack and his great organization, and of course, my great colleagues who've been such leaders on this issue, Tammy Baldwin and Jeanne Shaheen, and for organizing this event on a subject so deeply important to the American people, and protect our care. We've been working ever since ACA was passed a while back. It's done so much good for so many people, and we want to keep it that way, plain and simple. Now, as you all know, since he took office, President Trump has taken a meat axe to our healthcare system. It's vicious. It's cruel. It's mean. People are sicker. People live less long because of what Trump has done. One trillion dollars in healthcare cuts. Fifteen million people kicked off health insurance, decimating rural healthcare systems, shuttering hospitals and clinics. Healthcare is less accessible and more expensive for millions of Americans. It was one of the great achievements of the last two decades, and Trump is undoing it with his Republican colleagues. And why are they doing all this? To give billionaires a tax break. So is predicted. The Republican big, beautiful bill has turned out to be nothing but one big, beautiful betrayal of the American people. They're seeing it. 64% of Americans disapprove. You can see they're squirming. Trump said the other week, let's change the name of it. That's what he said. That's not somebody who's proud of what he's done. That's someone who knows it's not popular what he's done. And yet, changing the name isn't going to provide the healthcare that people need. That's what we want to do. So we're now facing, as all of that wasn't bad enough, we're now facing a cliff on ACA tax credits. Millions of Americans and small businesses who rely on the ACA premium tax credit are going to see their healthcare skyrocket, their costs. On average, premiums will increase a shocking, listen, 93%, almost double if the tax credits expire. 24 million Americans, including about 5 million people who will lose their coverage entirely. And when it's 24 million Americans, it's many more people who are affected because that's direct people. But what about their families and all of the people who depend on them? So it's a huge number of people who are terribly and deeply affected. Now, Americans are bracing for the impact as they hear about the sharp spikes for healthcare. Many insurance companies are already letting people know and they're shocked. I hear it in New York. I'm sure you hear it in your states. And it's going to get worse starting October 1st when many, many more people are told what's going to happen. They're required by law, many state laws, to notify them. So ACA tax credits must be expanded. We believe that firmly and strongly, not just to save Americans thousands more each year that they'd have to pay, but for the very lives that are at stake if this expires. Now, Senate Republicans are now saying, oh, well, maybe we'll consider it sometime. We don't put any faith in that. They've rejected it three times. Three times this year they'd have opportunities to extend the credits and give Americans peace of mind. Yes, three times. During any chance we possibly could offer amendments, we have. During every single voterama, Democrats all voted to extend the ACA credits and the Republicans refused. So what we've seen from Republicans instead is complete fealty to Donald Trump. He doesn't even get it. He's in his own bubble talking to his wealthy, well-connected friends, and he doesn't even get it. But the even sadder thing is that Republicans go along with him in fealty. So we are fighting for this. We believe so strongly, not only that it's the right thing to do, most importantly, but the American people are totally on our side. And they will see in the next few weeks, more clearly than ever, the difference between the two parties on this. It's not just the ACA tax credits, of course. The cuts to Medicaid and the big ugly bill. They're closing rural hospitals and clinics. They're closing long-term care facilities. People are losing jobs. State and local economies are suffering. And entire communities are going to be left without care. Well, time is running out. On October 1st, government funding lapses. More Americans, as I said, will get their letters in the mail telling them about the costs skyrocketing for them. Hundreds of dollars, even thousands. So we don't have time to waste. Democrats are clear. We need Republicans to step up, not say, oh, maybe we'll look at it down the road. We need them to step up now, now, to protect the needs of the American people. Who's going? Senator Shaheen. Thank you all. Good morning, everybody. I'm just looking at the list of speakers. Leslie, did you speak already? All right. Sorry. Well, thank you to Leader Schumer. Thank you to all of you for being here. And thank you to our storytellers, Laura Packard and Lester. Thank you. As Senator Schumer said, we have tens of millions of Americans who rely on the enhanced premium tax credits that we have championed here in the Senate for many years. They rely on them to keep their health insurance premiums affordable. And if Congress doesn't act, this program is going to expire at the end of the year. You know, we had an opportunity in that big, beautiful betrayal bill to extend them. And of course, this administration refused to do that. But what we know, excuse me, is that consumers are going to start feeling the pain much earlier than the end of the year. President Trump ran on bringing down prices. And in office, he's done just the opposite. That's why it's so important to extend these tax credits to give families more breathing room. Because what we saw in that big bill was that we kicked millions of Americans off of Medicaid. We failed to extend those enhanced premium tax credits that so many families rely on in order to be able to afford health insurance. So far this year, as Leader Schumer said, we've tried three times to advance a bill offering a permanent extension of the premium tax credits. Each time, our Republican colleagues have blocked it. And if they continue to block this extension, this is what it means. It will raise the cost of insurance by over 75 percent on average for tens of millions of people in this country. So that's the biggest increase in health insurance premiums in over a decade. In New Hampshire alone, we have over 45,000 people who could lose their health insurance if these tax credits expire. We've already had four health care facilities in New Hampshire close because of what was done to kick people off of Medicaid and to not extend the premium tax credits in New Hampshire. So imagine what the impact is going to be if we don't address this. Last week, I spoke with one of my constituents, a man named Paul from Canaan. Canaan is in a very rural northern part of our state. He told me that his family, including his wife, who has a pre-existing autoimmune disease, rely on these tax credits to be able to pay for their health insurance. He said that thanks to the credits, he no longer fears that one single emergency room visit could bankrupt his family. Unfortunately, that's something I've heard from many other people, not just Paul. And according to a study that a number of senators commissioned from Georgetown University's Center for Health Insurance Reform, the people who are going to be most affected by our failure to extend these tax credits are those who live in rural areas, like Paul, those from working families, like Paul, older Americans, and small business owners. Those are the people who can least afford these cost increases. And failing to extend these credits are going to hurt small businesses that create jobs and power local economies all across this country. I think that's one reason that two of President Trump's pollsters have said the Republicans' failure to extend the premium tax credits is going to be very bad news for Republicans next year in the election. So as we near the deadline for government funding, I hope that our colleagues here in Congress will join us, that they will act to extend these tax credits and to keep health insurance affordable for millions of Americans. So with that, let me introduce my colleague, Senator Baldwin, who has also been a huge advocate for health care and for these premium tax credits. Senator Baldwin. Good morning, and thank you, Senator Shaheen. And I want to thank Leader Schumer for his incredible leadership on this issue. Leslie, where are you? You're hiding from Protect Our Care. Thank you so much for all the work that you do. And I want to thank Lester and Laura for joining us today. The stories are really powerful. And I'm going to actually start by sharing my own. Some of you in this room already know that the fight for affordable health care has been deeply personal to me. When I was nine years old, I got a very serious childhood illness, something similar to spinal meningitis. That wasn't the exact diagnosis. But I was in the hospital for three months. And even though I fully recovered, my family couldn't find any insurance that would cover me at any price, because I had been labeled as a child with a pre-existing health condition. And back then, the insurance companies didn't have to. And so this became my fight. It's why I ran for office in the first place. And because of the Affordable Care Act, we changed that and gave Americans with pre-existing health conditions some serious protections in that bill. We gave families like mine hope. We gave young people hope, allowing them to stay on their parents' health insurance until they turn 26. That's a provision I authored in the bill. We gave small business owners like Lester a chance for them and their employees to get affordable care. And we opened the door for Americans like Laura to get the life-saving care that they need. Since then, I'm proud to say that we've built on the success of the Affordable Care Act. And one of those wins has been giving families a tax break when they buy their insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace. For small businesses like our restaurants, manufacturers, and child care providers, the small group health insurance market isn't just a huge administrative burden, it's also expensive. So the open marketplace is the difference between being able to hire, retain, and keep the doors open, or losing staff to jobs at companies that provide health insurance. But this tax break is all on the line right now. If Republicans don't act, this tax break will end at the end of the year. It will jack up premium costs for over 24 million Americans, including pricing about 4 million of those Americans entirely out of the market. That's what's predicted, that about 4 million Americans will no longer be able to afford health insurance. There's a very simple way to fix this problem, and it's right in front of us. We should add the bill that Senator Shaheen and I lead to make these tax breaks permanent to the government funding bill that we need to pass in the next two weeks. Time is of the essence. Families and businesses are planning for next year, and we need to get this done. The only question is whether Republicans will join us and stand for lower costs for families or not. So far they have made a choice to jack up families premiums by more than 75% and kick millions off their care. Earlier this year, Donald Trump and Republicans passed their sweeping tax bill. You would think including tax breaks for tens of millions of families to afford health care would be a centerpiece, right? Wrong. The Republicans' budget bill not only failed to extend these tax breaks, but it also slashed Medicaid. It terminates health care for millions of Americans and deals a devastating blow to our rural hospitals. Americans who play by the rules deserve a fair shot at success. They deserve health care that doesn't break the bank, but Republicans are threatening to upend that for millions. We got the message loud and clear from families that they are being squeezed by rising costs, and the last thing they need is their health care premiums to be jacked up or worse, not even being able to afford them. If Republicans fail to act, Wisconsinites know who to thank when their premiums go up and they are priced out of care. With that, I want to turn it over to Leslie to introduce our storytellers. Thank you for this call that you do every day, every year that both of you have been here to make this progress. We are joined today by two- my name is Leslie Dock. I'm the chair of Of course, I echo all of the comments that were made. Let me first introduce our first storyteller. Lester Johnson runs a restaurant in Richmond. He and his employees rely on the ACA tax credits to get affordable care, and he's going to speak about what this means for him, what it means for his business, and by the way, it also has a reputation for excellent food. So next time you're in Richmond, step on by. Thank you, Leslie. Good morning, everybody. So first, I want to thank Senator Schumer, Senator Shaheen, and Senator Baldwin for inviting me to join you today. Again, as Leslie said, my name is Lester Johnson, and I'm a local restaurant owner in Richmond, Virginia. I'm here today to call on Congress to make the enhanced premium tax credits permanent, as many in the hospitality industry like myself rely on these credits to stay healthy and insured. Before the Affordable Care Act, it was hard for small business owners and self-employed people to get health insurance, but this law has been a much-needed resource to me and my employees. I was able to sign up for a plan, and I have employees who are able to get their insurance through the marketplace as well. Premiums have been affordable for me and my staff. Thanks to these plans, we have been able to get coverage for preventative care and regular doctor visits. We also have coverage for pre-existing conditions. Restaurants operate on very slim margins, and most owners don't get rich in this business. We do it because we are passionate about preparing good food and creating a space for our community to come and enjoy a meal with their friends and family. Having access to good health care gives my employees and I the peace of mind we need to focus on the work we love. I am very worried about what will happen to me, to my business, and to my employees if these tax credits go away. As I prepare for today, I pulled up my insurance statement last night to review, and my personal premium would double in size if not for these credits. That will put a huge financial burden on me and my family. We do not want to have to come back and keep fighting this fight every year, so please make these tax credits permanent to give small businesses and working people one less thing to worry about. Times are already tough. We cannot afford to lose our health care. I also want to thank my Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan for co-sponsoring a bill, the Protecting Health Care and Lowering Costs Act of 2025, that will permanently extend these tax credits. Thank you for your time. Now we'll turn it over to Laura Packard. Hello everybody, and thanks for coming. My name is Laura Packard, and I'm a self-employed person from Alexandria, Virginia, and I'm here because the Affordable Care Act saved my life eight years ago. Eight years ago, I walked into a doctor's office with a nagging cough and walked out with a stage four cancer diagnosis. Thankfully, I had a cancer that was treatable and even curable, and I am here in remission today. Thank you. But all while I was going through treatment eight years ago, we were fighting to keep our health insurance. So the day after my first chemotherapy appointment, that's when the U.S. House voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which was keeping me alive. Now, thankfully, I'm in remission and I continue to thrive thanks to the Affordable Care Act, but the attacks continue. We must make these tax credits permanent so that people can afford the health care they need to thrive. We should not be choosing more spaceships for Elon Musk over hardworking Americans that just need health care. Too many of us will not be able to afford our premiums next year. I am dreading getting the letter in the mail in the next few weeks that says what my premiums will be, because as a cancer survivor, I have to pay whatever it costs. If I do not qualify for subsidies, that doesn't matter, because I have to pay it. I am at risk for secondary cancers, recurrence of my original cancer, other types of conditions caused by the chemotherapy and radiation treatments I went through. Because if you go through something serious medically, you're going to always face more issues later. Too many of us are vulnerable, and so I want to thank the senators here for stepping up to help make sure that Americans can get and keep the health insurance we need. Thank you. I'll just make one comment, I think, and you all have made it. There's urgency here. This is not an end of the year issue. We really need this action, and the Republicans have a very clear choice. The vehicle to do this, right in front of them. All it takes is the will to do the right thing. The debt payments for the $5 trillion tax break that they're giving to the rich and the big corporations, is just the debt service cost is more than it would take to pay for the extension of these tax credits for everyone. When it comes to this public debate about a shutdown and who's responsible and who isn't responsible, I am very happy that the Democrats have said that they will not support a bill that continues to give trillions of dollars in tax breaks to people who don't need it and rips healthcare away from people who do. The Republicans own this. They own this government, unfortunately, but they have the ability to fix it, and if they don't, that is on them. I'll just invite the senators back up. Thank you. Sure. So questions, and if you can identify who you're with and your name. Erin Derrick from Bloomberg Government. So just to ask more directly, are you willing to let the government shut down if Republicans do not come to the table for any kind of extension in the next government funding bill? You know, I think that's a premature question. I think we're still negotiating. We have several weeks, and so we will continue to negotiate and talk about why this is important, and as I said, President Trump's pollsters have recognized why this is important. They know that people are starting to get notices from their insurance company about how much their insurance rates are going to go up, and certainly, we're going to make sure people know who's responsible for that. And I would just add, yesterday, Donald Trump basically said, I don't need to talk to the Democrats. Just plow ahead. Well, I can tell you, it takes bipartisan work to pass things through the Senate, and he basically was announcing his intent to shut down the government if he tries to proceed without Democratic input. I think it is incredibly important that we act with speed on the issue that we're gathered here today on, because of the looming notices that are going to go out. We need to give people certainty, and we need to extend these premium tax credits. Yes. Theo with the Washington Post. What sort of discussions have you had with Republican senators about striking a deal to extend these credits, and how many Republican senators do you think are on board with doing so? Look, I think there's enough support, bipartisan support, to get this done. The question, when Republicans control both houses of Congress, is when they're going to put it up for a vote. But I know both Senator Shaheen and I have talked with a number of Republicans who want to get this done. And we have an opportunity right now with the government funding bill to get it done. So let's seize it. Yes. I'm from the Washington Times. I know the call here today is for permanency of the credits, but even Democrats, when you guys had control in the IRA, you didn't make their credits permanent because of the cost. Is there a willingness to settle for a shorter term extension if there's a deal to be had in that arena, rather than permanency, given the high cost? We understand that there's been a bill that's been introduced in the House for a one-year extension. I frankly don't think that's long enough. I understand there are some Republicans talking about introducing a bill in the Senate, but I think it's not productive to negotiate in public. So I don't intend to do that. I think we need an extension that people can rely on, just to be clear, because we know what the impact is. And let me just elaborate a little bit, because when we got back the report from the Georgetown University Center on Health Insurance Reform, one of the things they pointed out is that because of a number of changes in Trump's big bill, that it's harder for people to get health insurance. We know that people are being kicked off Medicaid. We know that a lot of the ways in which people were able to enroll through navigators and various ways has ended under the Trump administration. And so healthy people who are finding it harder to enroll are expected not to re-enroll because of the difficulties, which means that the risk pool is going to be sicker and those costs are going to go up. So that's what the insurance companies are looking at as they're looking at increasing rates. They're looking at the fact that because of the changes that this administration has made in healthcare coverage, it's going to mean that fewer people, healthy people, are going to be in the risk pool and those costs are going to go up. That's the problem we had before we passed the Affordable Care Act, as I know Senator Baldwin remembers, because health insurance had gotten so expensive that the average family couldn't afford it. And that's where we're headed now. And again, I would hope that our Republican colleagues would take a look at what the potential impact is here and what that means for small businesses. I thought Lester was really eloquent, as was Lauren, in talking about what the impacts are if we don't help families be able to afford health insurance. Next question. Hi, Cindy Reese with Inside Health Policy. I saw earlier today that Speaker Johnson said that he would like the ACA subsidy issue to be more of a healthcare issue rather than a finance issue. I'm curious if there's any talk- He doesn't understand it's a finance issue? He totally doesn't get it if he's saying that it's not a finance issue. It is a finance issue. What did Lester say? What did Lauren say? What did Paul from Canaan say? They all said, if this doesn't get extended, I can't afford health insurance and I'm going to go bankrupt. And that's a finance issue. I'm curious if there's talk of creating maybe a bipartisan health package that's separate from a CR. I know there's extenders that are bipartisan and maybe could extending these subsidies be part of that? Look, there's a time sensitivity to this and we have a must pass bill coming up and we should, I think that needs to be the direction that we're heading in. But look, we need to get this job done. I'll do it on any vehicle that's moving and I think the CR, the short-term CR is the first bill that we're going to have that will be a great opportunity to extend these tax credits. We have time for one more question. News. I wanted to ask on top of this important issue, there is talk by Republicans about tying in more funding for member security. One, do you support that? And two, are these two issues that can be tackled at the same time? Going back to Senator Sheehan tying him out, it's a money issue. Member security is obviously going to cost a lot of money. I think member security is a huge issue. I think as we've seen, sadly, political violence doesn't stick to one political party or another. And it's very unfortunate the trends that we're seeing. But what's being proposed is not clear yet. And so I would hope that we'd have a chance to look at that before commenting on specifics. The president indicated that it was a priority for him to get security measures for members of the judiciary and members of his administration. And I think it's entirely appropriate to have members of Congress as a part of that larger conversation. But I want to get back to the subject at hand. This debate that we are going to have in the next couple of weeks, we want to work with Republicans to repair some of the damage that was done in that big ugly bill, whether by commission or omission, omission of the opportunity there in a tax bill to continue this very important tax provision that allows people to afford their health care. But commission, we're talking about nearly a trillion dollars of cuts to the Medicaid program. We need to prioritize the health and well-being of the American people, as well as bringing their costs down. Thank you all very much.