Shaheen Joins New Hampshire Health Care Leaders to Discuss Her Legislation to Prevent Skyrocketing Costs for Granite Staters

(Concord, NH) – Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)joined Granite State health care leaders to discuss the importance of preventing health care costs from skyrocketing, including by passing her bicameral legislation, theHealth Care Affordability Act,to make permanent theAffordable Care Act’s (ACA)enhanced premium tax credits (PTCs) for Marketplace coverage. If these credits are not extended, in New Hampshire alone, 10,000 Granite Staters would be priced out of their health insurance. The enhanced PTCs have led to record enrollment in ACA coverage, including more than 68,000 in New Hampshire, and a record low uninsured rate nationwide. In addition to Shaheen, participants included New Futures President, Michele Merrit, Lamprey Health Care CEO, Greg White and National Alliance on Mental Illness New Hampshire Executive Director, Susan Stearns.You can find photos from the eventhere.
“For too many Americans, exorbitant costs are the biggest obstacle to purchasing health insurance leading to rationing medications and delaying appointments. Without an extension of theAffordable Care Actenhanced premium tax credits, that will only get worse,”said Senator Shaheen.“My bill to extend these lifesaving tax credits was the first I introduced this Congress because we need to act now to protect access to health care and prevent costs from rising at the end of this year.”
TheHealth Care Affordability Actwould make permanent the ACA PTCs for Marketplace coverage as passed in theAmerican Rescue Plan Actand extended through theInflation Reduction Act.Those enhanced tax credits increase the value of the tax credits available to people with income between 100 and 400 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL), while expanding eligibility for premium tax credits to include individuals with income above 400 percent of FPL.

At the end of last year, Shaheen, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), U.S. Representatives Richard E. Neal (D-MA-01) and Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14), as well as U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. House of Representatives Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries,securednew data from the U.S. Congressional Budget Office (CBO)detailing the impacton Americans’ health insurance should the ACA enhanced PTCs expire at the end of 2025. Shaheen’s legislation is cosponsored by 41 Senators.
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