SPRINGFIELD, MA— Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard E. Neal (D-MA) released the following statement ahead of the start of ACA Open Enrollment, when millions of Americans will look to enroll in health care coverage beginning Saturday, November 1:
“As millions of Americans now look at their options to protect themselves and their families with affordable, accessible health care, Democrats have shown what’s possible. Our investments delivered four straight years of record coverage and cost savings. Families saw $2,400 on average back in their pockets, and 24.3 million people got covered last year.
“When it came to extending tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations, Republicans couldn’t move fast enough. Yet, they’re missing in action when it comes to addressing the real crisis facing everyone else: lowering prices and tackling the cost-of-living squeeze. Extending the tax credits that make health care affordable for millions of middle-class Americans is the easiest place to start. The people are looking to Congress to do something, but Republicans are doubling down on attacking workers and their families by skyrocketing health care costs, blocking food assistance from children, and hiking prices at the grocery store with Trump’s Trade War.
“With their Big Ugly Law, destructive shutdown, and refusal to negotiate, Republicans have sunk to new lows. Greenlighting rising premiums by an average of 114% and facilitating the greatest loss of care in history will not soon be forgotten. They own what comes next.”
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*Americans can share their health care story, and what Republican cuts to Medicaid and the ACA will mean to their families, here
