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Speaking at a Capitol Hill press conference Tuesday alongside Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Shaheen said more than 45,000 Granite Staters are at risk of losing affordable coverage. Across the country, premiums could rise by an average of 75 percent for 24 million people, while another 4 million could lose insurance entirely.
“These tax credits are a lifeline for families in New Hampshire,” Shaheen said. “Without them, one emergency room visit could bankrupt a household. We cannot stand by and allow working people, small businesses, and rural communities to shoulder that burden.”
Shaheen has made the fight to preserve ACA subsidies a central focus of her work in Congress this year. Her first bill of the session — the Health Care Affordability Act, co-sponsored with Baldwin and Rep. Lauren Underwood (IL-14) — would make the enhanced credits permanent. The measure is designed to protect those with pre-existing conditions, bolster rural health care access, and help small businesses offer coverage to employees.
She highlighted stories from constituents to underscore the stakes, including a man from Canaan whose family relies on the credits to afford insurance for his wife, who has a serious autoimmune disease. “He told me that because of these credits, he no longer fears that one trip to the ER could bankrupt them,” Shaheen said.
Shaheen also pointed to the closure of four health care facilities in New Hampshire, which she linked to past cuts in Medicaid and ACA funding. “If we let these tax credits lapse, the impact on our state’s health care system could be catastrophic,” she warned.
Democrats are seeking to include the extension in the government funding bill due October 1. Shaheen said she hopes Republicans will reconsider their opposition. “This is about protecting the health and financial security of Granite Staters,” she said. “It’s time to put partisanship aside and do what’s right.”