Senate Republicans Block Extension of Expiring Health Care Tax Credits
Health Insurance Premiums are Set to More Than Double for Some Hudson Valley Households Next Year
HUDSON VALLEY, NEW YORK — Senate Republicans just voted to block a 3-year extension of expiring health care tax credits, just days before the December 15th Open Enrollment deadline locks New Yorkers into their new plans. With Republicans continuing to stand in the way of an extension of these key credits, thousands of Hudson Valley residents are on track to see their insurance premiums skyrocket, with some households seeing their monthly health care costs more than double.
The Senate vote was one of the last hopes to pass an extension before the Open Enrollment deadline, as House Republicans have refused to hold a vote on the legislation or coalesce behind a feasible alternative. Despite pleas from his constituents and his repeated assertions that New Yorkers are facing a health care affordability crisis that needs to be addressed, Congressman Mike Lawler has refused to sign on to the health care discharge petition providing a three-year extension, which is just four signatures shy of forcing a vote in the House.
“Congressman Lawler continues to acknowledge that New York families are facing a crisis of affordability when it comes to our health care costs, yet he hasn’t had any sense of urgency when it comes to actually addressing the problem,” said Karen, a cancer survivor and health care tax credit recipient from Yorktown. “Next year, between losing the health care tax credits and being forced to switch insurers, my husband and I will go from paying $6,720 a year to $16,300—almost a $10,000 price hike for worse coverage than we had before. We’re middle class, we work hard, and we were already struggling to cover our bills as it was. With our health care costs more than doubling, I don’t even know how we’re going to keep up. Rep. Lawler needs to put working New Yorkers first and support the three-year extension.”
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About Empire State Voices
Empire State Voices (ESV) is a multi-year campaign dedicated to amplifying the voices of everyday working New Yorkers. ESV is fighting for economic policies that make life more affordable for constituents and holding members of Congress across the state accountable when they fail to do the same.
