Michigan Advance: McDonald Rivet criticizes Republican inaction on ACA credits, calls for action by enrollment date

U.S. Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet called on Congress to extend enhanced tax credits for the Affordable Care Act in a press conference with advocacy group Protect Our Care on Wednesday. 

In the press conference, the Bay City Democrat said that “we are very quickly arriving at a place where we will have two separate countries” in regards to affordability, including health care affordability. 

She criticized Republican leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives for “ignoring” health care, saying, “We are finally back in session, and there’s not a single bill on the floor for consideration or in committee for consideration that deals with this problem.”

She emphasized how this would impact Michiganders in her district, from small business owners to parents.

“Most moms have had that experience where you wake up at 2:00 in the morning, with the kid with the high temperature and the croupy cough, and you’re worried, and you’re just waiting for your doctor’s office to open,” she continued. “Imagine how many people are going to drop their health insurance because they simply can’t afford it, who will know that they cannot take their child to the doctor’s office in the morning.”

Jim Milanowski, the president and CEO of the Genesee Health Plan, and Amber Bellazaire, a senior policy analyst at the Michigan League for Public Policy, both explained that if health care costs increase, people will choose to decrease their health insurance coverage or eliminate it entirely. 

“When premiums rise this dramatically, people are forced to make really hard decisions,” Bellazaire said. “Some might downgrade to plans that have sky high deductibles, and others will just go without insurance entirely.”

Milanowski noted that people going without insurance could actually increase health care costs for everyone, regardless of insurance, as uncompensated care would increase. 

Bellazaire also noted that, ahead of the hard deadline of Jan. 15 to enroll in the ACA marketplace, the question of whether or not tax credits will be extended has “created significant uncertainty for families planning their 2026 coverage.”

“Americans do not want President Trump and Republicans to take away their health care. 64% of Americans support the Affordable Care Act,” said Dianne Byrum, director of Protect Our Care Michigan. “Eight in 10 Michiganders want Medicaid left alone or even strengthened.” 

McDonald Rivet, throughout the call, urged her fellow lawmakers to take up the issue before that January deadline and to extend the tax credits to prevent the price hikes from going into effect. 

“It is not too late to fix this,” she said. “We have the ability to get this done before the end of the year. Congress can act to fix this.”