U.S. Representative Terri Sewell, D-Alabama, released the following statement ahead of the start of Affordable Care Act open enrollment, when more than 450,000 Alabamians looked to enroll in health care coverage.
Open enrollment began November 1.
“For so many Alabama families, the consequences of the Republican health care crisis just became real,” Sewell said. “While billionaires celebrate huge new tax breaks from Trump’s Big Ugly Bill, hundreds of thousands of hard working Alabamians are wondering how they will pay DOUBLE for their health insurance premiums next year.
“Make no mistake—We are standing on the edge of a cliff. If Republicans fail to act quickly, thousands of Alabama families will lose health care coverage altogether. Our communities will be hungrier, sicker, and poorer as a result.
“It does not have to be this way. Democrats are seated at the negotiating table, ready to work with Republicans on a bill to bring down these out-of-control costs and reopen the federal government. We implore our Republican colleagues to come back from vacation and join us.”
According to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, the expiration of ACA enhanced premium tax credits will cause annual health care premiums for Alabamians enrolled in the ACA to by rise by $25,649 for a 60-year-old couple earning $85,000, $12,122 for a family of four earning $130,000, and $3,305 for a 45-year-old individual earning $64,000.
