Groundwork’s Owens Says Leaders Should Fight to Protect Health Care, Not Drive Up Prices

Groundwork’s Owens Says Leaders Should Fight to Protect Health Care, Not Drive Up Prices

Tonight, President Trump and Republicans in Congress have continued their refusal to negotiate with Democrats to protect health care and keep the government open. This will be the first government shutdown to impact government services since President Trump previously shut down the government in 2018.

Lindsay Owens, Executive Director at Groundwork Collaborative, shared her reaction:

“Republicans in Congress just sent a message to the American people that they would rather shut down the government than lower your health care costs. Each day that the government is shut down and Republicans refuse to negotiate brings more than 20 million people closer to seeing their insurance premiums spike on November 1 and puts millions more at risk of losing Medicaid coverage.

“The American people deserve leaders who’ll fight to protect our health care and lower costs — not drive prices up and make life harder for everyone.”

Read HERE to hear directly from Americans facing looming health care price hikes.

Background: 

• As awareness of the government shutdown grows, so does public demand for action on health care costs. New polling (Sept. 26–28) shows that 58% of voters  now say they’ve heard a lot or some about a potential shutdown — an 11-point jump in just one week. With more than 80% of Americans already saying that health care costs are a problem for them and their families, the polling also finds that a majority of voters want Congress to prioritize health care — especially as many face losing Medicaid coverage or massive premium increases when Open Enrollment begins on November 1. When asked about priorities, 50% of voters said Congress should focus on “restoring health care,” compared to 40% who said “preventing a government shutdown.”
• Republicans don’t mind pricing millions out of health care. The expiration of Affordable Care Act tax credits that help 22 million Americans afford health coverage through the ACA Marketplace will hike out-of-pocket premium costs an estimated 114% on average and leave as many as 4 million Americans uninsured. Premium hikes will top 90% in many rural areas.
  • For a typical family of four with a household income of $80,000, monthly premiums will increase 113%, from $263 per month to $560 per month.
  • The lowest income Americans would face the steepest premium increase: A single adult earning $25,000 would see premiums rise by 573%.
  • Even those not receiving tax credits will be impacted: insurers have signaled that they will hike gross premiums for ACA Marketplace plans by an average of 18%, the largest in six years.
• President Trump’s threat to “extract maximum pain” from the American people isn’t sitting well with voters. His recent announcement threatening mass firings of federal workers if the government shuts down is overwhelmingly opposed: 61% of voters are against it — including two-thirds of Independents.