WASHINGTON, DC – By a vote of 51-48, Senate Republicans today filibustered passage of the Lower Health Care Costs Act, a clean 3-year extension of expiring Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits. Despite picking up support from four Senate Republicans, the bill fell 9 votes short of clearing the filibuster’s 60-vote threshold.

The Lower Health Care Costs Act, unanimously supported by Senate Democrats and Independents, would have ensured that consumers purchasing an ACA plan pay no more than 8.5 percent of their income on monthly health insurance premiums.

Forty-eight Senate Republicans voted against the bill, which means the ACA tax credits will expire at the end of the month absent a massive change on the part of Republicans and President Trump.

If that happens, roughly 24 million Americans will see the cost of their health care spike by an average of 114 percent, according to the non-partisan health research organization KFF. In Rhode Island, Republican obstruction of the bill means the state could lose $130 million in federal support, a sum that is not easily made up with a state-subsidized plan. Meanwhile, over 40,000 Rhode Islanders would face higher health care costs and up to 13,000 could lose coverage entirely, according to estimates from HealthSource RI.

Additionally, by forcing more Americans to lose their ACA health coverage, Republicans are also pushing the price of health insurance higher for everyone, as the remaining population on insurance will be sicker on average, a condition that health care experts often refer to as a worse “risk pool.” That makes it costlier for companies to insure the average policyholder. So as the Congressional Budget Office points out, the result of millions of consumers dropping their health insurance means that insurance will likely get more expensive for those who still have it.

Today, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) issued the following statement:

“Congress needs to lower health care costs, but Senate Republicans just voted to double people’s health premiums overnight, destabilize the health care marketplace, and impose steep price increases on working Americans.

“By denying people access to affordable, comprehensive care, and through their devastating Medicaid cuts, Congressional Republicans are increasing the odds of hospital and nursing home closures and making life more difficult for caregivers too.

“The ACA works because it is cost-effective and benefits everyone. But under the Trump Administration, Republican attacks on affordable health care and the ACA have been relentless. Their so-called ‘big ugly bill’ cut more than $1 trillion from Medicaid and health programs. And now, at the same time the president is prioritizing $20 billion in taxpayer dollars to prop up Argentina’s economy, he is pricing people out of their health coverage or forcing them to pay double just to keep what they already had.

“President Trump calls affordability a “hoax.” He is wrong. People understand this issue. They can feel the rising cost of health care and see their loved ones forced into untenable decisions. It is crystal clear who is on their side and who is putting the interest of billionaires ahead of working families.

“We can’t give up and Democrats won’t stop working to make health care more affordable for all Americans. There is still time to pass a simple extension and prevent an avoidable health care crisis, but Congressional Republicans need to come to the table. I will continue pushing practical, people-first solutions to restore these tax credits, restrain cost increases across the health care system, and make the ACA more effective and affordable.”