REPUBLICAN SHUTDOWN DAY 23: As Window Shopping Opens in WA, Senator Murray Joins WA State Health Benefit Exchange CEO, Washingtonian to Discuss Exploding Health Care Costs
NEW FROM AP: 6 in 10 Americans are “extremely” or “very” concerned about their health costs going up in the next year
NEW FROM SEATTLE TIMES: WA residents shopping for health insurance hit with sticker shock
NEW FROM TRI-CITY HERALD: Health insurance could double for thousands in Tri-Cities and Eastern WA
WATCH press conference HERE, download HERE
Washington, D.C. – Today, on the 23rd day of the Republican shutdown, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a senior member and former chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, held a virtual press conference with Ingrid Ulrey, CEO of the Washington State Health Benefit Exchange, and Nanette Smith, a retiree from Tumwater who uses the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Exchange to get her health insurance.
At the press conference, Senator Murray explained how inaction by Republican members of Congress will force Washingtonians to pay significantly more for health care. On Tuesday, Washington state’s ACA marketplace, Washington Healthplanfinder, opened to allow Washingtonians to window shop for health care coverage, and multiple reports have already found that people in Washington state are seeing their premiums dramatically increase as they begin shopping for plans. The over 220,000 Washingtonians who buy health insurance through the marketplace and rely on the ACA tax credits to afford health care will see an average increase of 21% in their health care premiums thanks to Republicans’ refusal to extend the ACA enhanced premium tax credits. This drastic cost increase will push an estimated 80,000 Washingtonians off their health coverage over the next decade. A Washington-state specific fact sheet on the ACA tax credits is HERE.
Right now, Democrats are fighting to save the ACA tax credits, which expire at the end of the year. Without them, 22 million Americans will see their health care costs skyrocket. Premiums will more than double, on average, for Americans who buy health care through the ACA exchanges, and these higher costs will push 4.8 million people off their health coverage over the next decade.
Senator Murray implored Republican leaders to come to the negotiating table as new signs indicate that Republicans are feeling the heat for ignoring the health care crisis and allowing the ACA enhanced premium tax credits to expire at the end of the year. Reporting has uncovered that the White House is privately fretting about the issue, and President Trump signaled openness to cutting a deal. Meanwhile, some House Republicans have called out Republican leadership for causing the shutdown and failing to have a solution or plan to prevent people’s premiums from exploding.
“Right now, window shopping is underway in Washington state and other states across the country. That means people are logging in, looking for a health plan for next year, and coming face-to-face with some eye-popping price hikes. We are talking about people learning their premiums will double, triple, and in some cases, quadruple. I’ve heard from parents and small business owners who were told their monthly payment would increase by a thousand dollars or more per month,” said Senator Murray. “Why is this happening? Simply put: Republicans have refused to stop it. Democrats have been calling all year for action on this. We tried to pass an extension while Republicans were shoveling tax breaks at billionaires when they passed their Big Ugly Bill, but they voted it down three times, and Republican leaders have refused to talk about this with us… The most important thing families can do right now is speak up. Let’s be clear, Republicans are sticking their heads as deep in the sand as they can manage. And they would literally rather shut down the government than talk about this!”
Senator Murray played a critical role in passing the enhanced premium tax credits in the American Rescue Plan in 2021 and extending them in the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, and she has been fighting for months to make sure these important health care tax credits don’t expire, including cosponsoring multiple pieces of legislation—the Health Care Affordability Act and the Protecting Health Care and Lowering Costs Act—that would make them permanent.
“Since 2021 the Enhanced ACA tax credits have been a lifeline for our customers, enabling them to keep up with rising premiums and stay covered. This year, as mentioned, we have approximately 220,000 Washingtonians who are benefiting from these ACA tax credits. And without them, our actuaries have predicted that up to 80,000 of our customers may experience price hikes so high that they will make a very difficult decision to just drop coverage. So right now the folks and in our market who we are most concerned about include those who are our middle income customers, who are approximately, you know, a modest annual salary of $62,000 or more per individual, or $85,000 or more for a couple who will no longer receive any level of tax credit or support if Congress doesn’t take action, and they will be the most affected,” said Ingrid Ulrey, CEO of the Washington State Health Benefit Exchange. “These customers who are most affected and are feeling it the most include many small business owners, gig workers, and individuals who are self-employed, as well as older adults who are 50 plus but not yet on Medicare. We predict that many of these customers will experience increases of up to $5,000 per year, and for some even the doubling and tripling that Senator Murray that you called out, and it’s at that level that becomes the breaking point when people think about, I have my mortgage, I have my groceries, I have all my essential expenses, and feel that they just can’t hang on… So if and when Congress can come to an agreement to extend the tax credits, the Exchange stands ready to pass on this relief to our customers. While this is not going to be as easy as flipping a switch, we will work with our partners, including the office of the insurance commissioner and our carriers, to make the necessary changes in our system as soon as possible. The sooner that Congress acts, the sooner that Washingtonians will benefit.”
“I was shocked when I got an email on Tuesday this week about my premiums and how it would increase. My husband and I are retired. He’s already on Medicare, but I’m only 64 so I’ve got another year ago. And the estimate for our premiums was going to include a $400 a month increase, that’s close to $5,000 a year. On a fixed income that is really, really going to hurt us. That’s going to cut into our already very, very, very tight budget. One of the points I want to make is that this is not political. This is not about Republicans and Democrats. This is about a moral issue. This is about taking care of American citizens. You know, I pay my taxes, I pay my premiums, and I do all the things that responsible citizens do. And this is a moral issue. This really crosses party lines,” said Nanette Smith, a retiree from Tumwater who uses the ACA Exchange to get her health insurance. “This is a really tight time of year coming up anyway. I just am in recovery from a pretty significant back surgery. So I have ongoing medical bills that I’m still dealing with. My husband has issues coming up that he’s going to have to deal with in medical things. And so these are things we tried to plan ahead for, trying to think ahead for, but we just could not imagine a $400 a month additional hit to our income. Gas prices are high, groceries are high, utilities are going to be even higher going into the winter. So, you know, we try to be responsible. We try to be frugal. We don’t go out to dinner, frankly. We don’t buy new things. We have older vehicles. And this is really something that is going to hit us pretty hard. And not just us, but many, many, many other people. I’ve never done anything like this before. I’ve never spoken out publicly before, but I really just felt like not only for me, but for anyone else in this situation, it’s just very important to tell my story and hopefully, maybe the politicians across the aisle will be able to work things out and do what’s right for the American people.”
Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered on today’s press call, are below:
“Thank you all for joining me. We are just a week away from Open Enrollment kicking off nationwide. And as of this week, window shopping is now underway in Washington state. And people across our state, and the country, are talking about the massive premium hikes they are seeing when they log in.
“Well, everyone except Republicans in Congress, who are trying to duck their heads in the sand. And in the case of House Republicans, who have literally been on vacation for over a month.
“Republicans are still refusing to even talk about, let alone address, the fact that premiums are about to double for millions of families if they do not work with us to save the ACA enhanced tax credits.
“There are hundreds of thousands of families across Washington state who rely on the ACA tax credits to afford their health plan. Over 220,000, to be exact.
“And that is just the tip of the iceberg. Literally just one percent of how many people this will hit nationwide. There are over 22 million people who rely on these tax credits that Republicans are refusing to save. Nearly 5 million of them will end up uninsured if we don’t do something.
“In other words, we are a week away from a complete health care disaster. But today, right now, we already have a clear view of the train that is coming down the tracks. And people are panicking.
“Because right now, window shopping is underway in Washington state and other states across the country.
“That means that people are logging in, looking for a health plan for next year, and coming face-to-face with some eye-popping price hikes. We are talking about people learning that their premiums will double, triple, and in some cases, quadruple.
“I’ve heard from parents and small business owners who were told their monthly payment would increase by a thousand dollars or more a month. And I know there are lots of families just now tuning into this issue, as they get ready to shop for health care plans for next year.
“So here’s a quick rundown for everyone who is wondering: what exactly is it Republicans are so determined to avoid talking about? Why is my premium going through the roof?
“What is happening? Window shopping for health care plans has already started in Washington state and across the country in many places. Families are logging on to the health care exchange to see massive price hikes. Monthly premiums doubling, and tripling, and worse.
“Why is this happening? Simply put: Republicans have refused to stop it. Democrats have been calling all year for action on this. We tried to pass an extension while Republicans were shoveling tax breaks at billionaires when they passed their Big Ugly Bill, but they voted it down three times, and Republican leaders have refused to talk about this with us.
“Where can you learn more? Families in Washington state can go to WAhealthpathfinder.org to see what their health plan options will cost for 2026.
“What can you do about this? The most important thing families can do right now is speak up. Let’s be clear, Republicans are sticking their heads as deep in the sand as they can manage. And they would literally rather shut down the government than talk about this!
“We have to make sure we are so loud they cannot ignore us, no matter how hard they try.
“And that’s exactly why I am holding calls like this, and lifting up stories on the ground about the massive price hikes families are facing. I’m going to try to use my megaphone to amplify the stories Republicans are so determined to ignore.
“From the stories here in Washington, and even the stories of some of our Republican neighbors that they are trying to ignore in their own states.
“And now is a critical moment to make sure those voices are echoing loud and clear. Because as I said, window shopping is open, and even more families are seeing what this means for them, and speaking out, demanding action.”
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