Republicans have embraced an agenda of repealing the Affordable Care Act, which could raise costs and jeopardize coverage for people across North Carolina
Today, President Biden and former President Obama announced new measures to build on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and close the “family glitch” – which according to a KFF analysis affected 148,000 people in North Carolina in 2019, preventing them from accessing affordable health insurance. Meanwhile, Republicans are doubling down on their promise to deliver an agenda of hiking taxes and higher health insurance premiums if they take power.
Just last month, Republican Senator Ron Johnson confirmed that some Republicans still want to repeal the Affordable Care Act. That would mean that as many as 100 million Americans with preexisting conditions could lose insurance protections, Americans with private insurance could see their premiums skyrocket, 21 million Americans could lose their insurance, and more.
“Today’s announcement shows how Democrats have been working for more than a decade to not just pass the Affordable Care Act and help people across North Carolina get access to affordable health insurance, but to build on it and continue to lower health care costs for North Carolinians. Meanwhile, Republicans haven’t stopped trying to overturn the landmark health care law – and are once again threatening to make health care more expensive and harder to access. When it comes to North Carolinians’ health care, President Biden and Democrats are taking action on cost-cutting solutions while Republicans keep trying to push us backward,” said NCDP Spokesperson Ellie Dougherty.
While Republicans are pushing to overturn the ACA and raise costs, today’s announcement is just the most recent action that Democrats have taken to build on the ACA to make coverage more accessible and affordable. Thanks to the American Rescue Plan, over 670,000 people in North Carolina are now getting insurance through the marketplaces established by the ACA, saving on average hundreds of dollars a year – no thanks to every single Republican member of North Carolina’s congressional delegation, who unanimously voted against the American Rescue Plan.
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