Senator Reverend Warnock joined his senate colleagues to reintroduce the Health Care Affordability Act

The bicameral legislation would lower health care costs for millions of Americans by making the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA)enhanced premium tax credits (PTCs) for Marketplace coverage permanent

Senator Reverend Warnock: “Every person should have access to affordable health care”

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) led 37 of their senate colleagues in reintroducing the Health Care Affordability Act. The legislation would lower health care costs for millions of Americans by making the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits (PTCs) for Marketplace coverage as extended through the Inflation Reduction Act permanent.

According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), if the PTCs are allowed to expire at the end of this year, health care premiums would increase by 7.9 percent and 3.8 million Americans would lose their health insurance altogether.

“Health care is expensive enough; 1.2 million Georgians can’t afford to see their health care premiums spike. That’s why I’m fighting to extend these tax credits to make health care more affordable,” said Senator Warnock. “Every person should have access to affordable health care.”

Senator Warnock has long championed efforts to expand affordable health care access, starting with his advocacy to close the health care coverage gap in Georgia. In addition to pushing for solutions to close the coverage gap, Senator Warnock led a delegation of Georgia lawmakers in urging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to provide tools to Medicaid non-expansion states like Georgia to help them protect health care access for Medicaid enrollees who lose eligibility after the end of the public health emergency declaration. 

In addition to Senators Warnock, Shaheen, and Baldwin, the legislation is also co-sponsored by U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Angus King (I-ME), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Peter Welch (D-VT), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Patty Murray (D-WA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Jack Reed (D-RI), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Mark Warner (D-VA), Ed Markey (D-MA), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Gary Peters (D-MI), John Fetterman (D-PA), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Andy Kim (D-NJ) and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI).

The bill has been endorsed by: Protect Our Care, Keep Americans Covered, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, United States of Care, National Health Council, Unidos, Young Invincibles, Alliance of Community Health Plans, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Lung Association, Center for American Progress, American Heart Association, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Third Way, Susan G. Komen, Arthritis Foundation, Cancer Support Community, Child Neurology Foundation, Epilepsy Foundation of America, American Kidney Fund, CancerCare, Family Voices – National, Hemophilia Federation of America, Lupus Foundation of America, National Bleeding Disorders Foundation, National Kidney Foundation, Muscular Dystrophy Association, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, National Organization for Rare Disorders, National Patient Advocate Foundation, National Psoriasis Foundation, The AIDS Institute, Families USA, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, Federation of American Hospitals, Center for American Progress, National Partnership for Women and Families, Pulmonary Hypertension Association, GO2 for Lung Cancer, Community Catalyst, American Federation of Teachers and National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship.

Full text of the bill is available HERE.

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