Faith leaders from across Alabama issued a joint letter to the state’s congressional delegation on Monday, urging action to permanently extend Affordable Care Act tax credits.
The letter, sent ahead of a planned Senate vote on the issue, was organized by the Cover Alabama Coalition, a group of more than 50 state organizations dedicated to healthcare policy advocacy.
Signees include 87 congregational and community leaders from across the state who called for the extension of ACA premium tax credits before their anticipated expiration on December 31.
“We, the undersigned pastors and faith leaders from across Alabama, write with urgency to ask you to protect the health and well-being of our congregations,” the letter states. “As families across our state are making decisions about their 2026 coverage right now, Congress must act quickly to pass a bipartisan bill that extends the enhanced ACA premium tax credits before the December recess.”
The letter highlights that nearly 500,000 Alabamians are enrolled in ACA health plans in 2025, more than in any year prior.
Cover Alabama wrote that the letter emphasizes that premium tax credit extension “is not a partisan issue but a moral one,” and that if Congress fails to act Alabamians will face “catastrophic premium increases and widespread loss of health coverage.”
“Our faith traditions teach us that every human life is sacred and that caring for the sick and vulnerable is a moral obligation. Access to health care is not a privilege for the wealthy. It is a matter of justice and human dignity,” the letter reads. “Families in our congregations and communities are already stretched thin. They cannot bear additional financial burdens simply to access essential medical care.”
According to a Kaiser Family Foundation study cited by the letter, the lapse of ACA tax credits will cause insurance premiums to rise an average of 93 percent across the state, and an estimated 130,000 Alabamians enrolled in subsidized ACA plans will no longer be able to afford health insurance.
The document also cites that in Alabama, a 60-year-old couple earning $85,000 per year would see their premiums increase from roughly $600 to more than $2,600.
“An estimated 130,000 Alabamians will lose their health coverage in 2026 because they will no longer be able to afford it,” the letter states. “These are our neighbors, church members, elders, young parents and people living with chronic health conditions. Losing coverage will force them into impossible choices between paying medical bills, putting food on the table or keeping a roof overhead.”
“As elected leaders, you have a responsibility to promote the common good and protect the people of Alabama. Allowing these enhanced tax credits to expire, knowing the harm it will cause to families across our state, would be a profound moral failure,” the senders added.
ACA insurance plans are administered yearly through the ACA Healthcare Marketplace. Open enrollment for the ACA began on November 1, and enrollees must select their 2026 plans by December 15.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, promised Senate Democrats a vote on extending the subsidies in early December as part of the deal to reopen the federal government last month, following the longest shutdown in U.S. history.
The Senate is expected to vote on a Democrat-led proposal to extend ACA tax credits for three years on Thursday.
