Fighting for Your Health Care

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<p>Friends,</p><p><strong>The federal government officially shutdown early this morning</strong>. That means many of the federal agencies Americans depend on will suspend their operations and many government services will be delayed or temporarily unavailable.</p><p>For more information on how a government shutdown impacts you, <a href="https://clyburn.house.gov/government-shutdown-resources/">visit my website.</a></p><p><strong>I’m sure many of you are wondering why this happened. Well, let me explain:</strong></p><ul><li>Policies in Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” cut nearly <a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/health/by-the-numbers-harmful-republican-megabill-will-take-health-coverage-away-from#:~:text=The%20law%20cuts%20%241.1%20trillion%20from%20Medicaid%20and%20ACA%20marketplaces%2C%20according%20to%20Congressional%20Budget%20Office%20(CBO)%20estimates." rel="noopener external noreferrer" target="_blank">$1 trillion</a> from Medicaid, which the Congressional Budget Office estimates will cause <a href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/how-will-the-2025-reconciliation-law-affect-the-uninsured-rate-in-each-state/" rel="noopener external noreferrer" target="_blank">5 million Americans</a> to lose their health care by 2034.</li><li>Additionally, enhanced Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) tax credits that have helped nearly <a href="https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/enrollment-growth-in-the-aca-marketplaces/?utm_source=chatgpt.com#:~:text=ACA%20Marketplace%20enrollment,11.4M%20to%2024.3M." rel="noopener external noreferrer" target="_blank">13 million</a> Americans gain affordable coverage are set to expire at the end of this year, causing <a href="https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2025-08/61506-marketplace.pdf" rel="noopener external noreferrer" target="_blank">millions of Americans</a> to lose coverage and <a href="https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/aca-marketplace-premium-payments-would-more-than-double-on-average-next-year-if-enhanced-premium-tax-credits-expire/" rel="noopener external noreferrer" target="_blank">premiums to double</a> for tens of millions more.</li><li>Combined, these two policies are projected to strip <a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/health/by-the-numbers-harmful-republican-megabill-will-take-health-coverage-away-from#:~:text=CBO%20estimates%20that%2010%20million%20people%20will%20become%20uninsured%20due%20to%20Medicaid%20and%20ACA%20marketplace%20cuts%20in%20the%20law%2C%20including%207.5%20million%20people%20who%20will%20lose%20Medicaid%20in%202034%20(with%20interactions)." rel="noopener external noreferrer" target="_blank">10</a>–<a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/health/by-the-numbers-harmful-republican-megabill-will-take-health-coverage-away-from#:~:text=Roughly%2015%20million,to%20CBO%20estimates." rel="noopener external noreferrer" target="_blank">15</a> million Americans—Democrats and Republicans alike—of their health insurance. In fact, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/10/gop-weighs-aca-marketplace-cuts-republicans-more-likely-to-use-it.html#:~:text=Nearly%20half%2C%2045%25%2C%20of,Democrats%20as%20of%20May%202025." rel="noopener external noreferrer" target="_blank">more Republicans</a> receive health care through the <a href="https://www.healthcare.gov/" rel="noopener external noreferrer" target="_blank">healthcare.gov</a> marketplace than Democrats.</li><li><a href="https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/state-indicator/marketplace-enrollment/?currentTimeframe=0&amp;sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D" rel="noopener external noreferrer" target="_blank">More than 630,000 South Carolinians</a> are enrolled in health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act, and 95% of them receive tax credits to help them afford their premiums.</li><li>Over <a href="https://www.jec.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/democrats/press-releases?ID=586C9ADA-84B9-4890-8E52-5DC7F01D6CB0" rel="noopener external noreferrer" target="_blank">270,000 South Carolinians</a> are estimated to lose health care as a result of these changes. One of them could be you.</li><li>Even Americans with private insurance <a href="https://aflcio.org/about/advocacy/legislative-alerts/higher-costs-and-less-care-families-job-based-health-insurance?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="noopener external noreferrer" target="_blank">could see their health care costs rise</a> because of policies in Trump’s law.</li></ul><p><strong>Democrats in Congress are asking President Trump and Republicans to reverse these cuts to ensure Americans can keep their health care and to prevent premiums from skyrocketing.</strong></p><ul><li>On Monday, President Trump met with Congressional leaders in the Oval Office.</li><li>After the meeting, Trump posted <a href="https://x.com/realdonaldtrump/status/1972822596397003159?s=61" rel="external noopener noreferrer">a deep fake AI-generated video</a> on social media that indicated he was not serious about negotiating with Democrats. The <a href="https://x.com/realdonaldtrump/status/1972822596397003159?s=61" rel="external noopener noreferrer">video</a> mocked Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.</li><li>And last night, Trump posted <a href="https://x.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1973218518893207825" rel="external noopener noreferrer">a second AI generated video</a> , further insulting Democratic Leader Jeffries.</li></ul><p><strong>My Democratic colleagues and I refuse to stand by while Trump and Republicans’ policies leave millions of Americans without access to health care and </strong><a href="https://aflcio.org/about/advocacy/legislative-alerts/higher-costs-and-less-care-families-job-based-health-insurance?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="noopener external noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>drive up costs for everyone.</strong></a></p><p>This is not about “undocumented immigrants receiving government funded health care,” as Trump and many Republicans claim. Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for federally funded health coverage through Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. <strong>That is already </strong><a href="https://www.kff.org/racial-equity-and-health-policy/5-key-facts-about-immigrants-and-medicaid/?utm_source=chatgpt.com#:~:text=Undocumented%20immigrants%20are%20not%20eligible%20to%20enroll%20in%20federally%20funded%20coverage%20including%20Medicaid%2C%20CHIP%2C%20or%20Medicare%20or%20to%20purchase%20coverage%20through%20the%20ACA%20Marketplaces." rel="noopener external noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>prohibited under federal law</strong></a><strong>, and Democrats don’t want to change that. </strong></p><p>And if that were truly the Rights’ only concern, why are they refusing to negotiate over how to stop these reckless cuts to the health care of American citizens?</p><p>Passing a government funding bill has traditionally been a bipartisan process, yet Republicans have been unwilling to work with Democrats on our simple requests: <strong>ensuring millions of Americans don’t lose access to health care and costs don’t increase at a time when prices are already high.</strong></p><p>I urge my Republican colleagues to come to the table and negotiate to end this government shutdown. <strong>Millions of Americans are counting on you.</strong></p><p>Sincerely,</p><p>Jim</p> </div>
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