SENATE MUST PASS THE 3 YEAR EXTENSION FOR THE

HEALTH INSURANCE TAX CREDITS

We strongly support the House’s January 8, 2026, passage of bipartisan legislation to extend the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits for three years, but we would prefer they be permanent, and we call on the Senate to vote on this legislation immediately. House Democrats were right to force a vote after months of delay, using a discharge petition to overcome leadership resistance, with seventeen Republicans ultimately joining to secure final passage in a 230–196 vote. However, this action came only after the credits were allowed to expire on January 1, 2026 — forcing families to pay more and some to lose coverage altogether. The lapse was preventable. Any further delay in the Senate is unacceptable and will continue to harm millions who rely on these subsidies to keep health insurance within reach.

The Senate must recognize that this three-year extension is not merely a routine policy adjustment — it is a stabilization measure for the entire individual insurance market in 2026. Without swift passage, premiums will remain elevated, insurers will continue operating under uncertainty, and families will face ongoing financial disruption. A delayed response only deepens the instability that Congress itself created by allowing the credits to lapse in the first place. Acting quickly would not only reverse premium hikes but restore predictability to a marketplace that millions depend on for coverage.

The enhanced premium tax credits were central to stabilizing the ACA marketplace and making coverage realistically affordable for working- and middle-income Americans. Their expiration was not a surprise. Open enrollment for 2026 coverage began on November 1, 2025, and insurers priced their plans amid uncertainty about whether Congress would act. As a result, many families entered 2026 facing premium increases that analysts projected could average 75 percent or more. Annual costs for a typical enrollee could rise from roughly $900 to nearly $1,900. For millions, that difference determines whether coverage is possible at all.

Nearly five million people are projected to lose coverage entirely if the enhanced credits are not restored. Others remain insured but at sharply higher monthly costs, draining household budgets already strained by rising medical expenses and inflation. Even with the enhanced credits in place, marketplace coverage was not cheap; without them, the individual market quickly becomes unaffordable for moderate-income families who do not qualify for Medicaid and lack employer-sponsored insurance.

Despite the clear consequences, early signals suggest the legislation faces serious headwinds in the Senate. Some observers predict it may be blocked outright, stalled in committee, or simply denied floor time — effectively ignored rather than debated. Quiet inaction would be just as consequential as an explicit “no” vote. Allowing the bill to languish would prolong premium spikes and coverage losses while shielding lawmakers from direct accountability. Given the House’s bipartisan vote, Senate leadership should not dismiss the measure without full consideration. The urgency is not political; it is financial and immediate for millions of households.

If the Senate passes the three-year extension, federal regulators should immediately authorize a nationwide Special Enrollment Period (SEP). Families who dropped coverage at the start of 2026 because premiums spiked should not be locked out of the market for the remainder of the year. Likewise, individuals who enrolled at significantly higher premiums due to the subsidy lapse should be allowed to re-enroll and access the restored financial assistance. Without an SEP, congressional action would arrive too late for many who already made financially painful decisions in January.

The January 8 House vote demonstrates that bipartisan support for extending these credits existed before they expired. What was missing was urgency. Allowing a known deadline to pass created instability for families, insurers, and state marketplaces — instability that was entirely avoidable. Now that the House has acted, the Senate must recognize the importance and time-sensitive nature of reactivating these extensions. Every week of delay keeps people struggling to pay unaffordable premiums or pushes them out of coverage entirely.

Extending the enhanced premium tax credits for three years would restore predictability to the individual market and prevent deeper erosion of coverage. But restoration alone is not enough. The Senate must treat this as an immediate corrective measure, not a partisan bargaining chip. The longer it waits — or the more quietly it shelves the bill — the greater the disruption to families who depend on the ACA marketplace for their health security.

Motion to Discharge a Committee from the Consideration of a Resolution

H.R.1834 - Breaking the Gridlock Act

BREAKING THE GRIDLOCK ACT; Congressional Record Vol. 172, No. 5

Vote: Roll Call 11 | Bill Number: H. R. 1834

House passes three-year extension of expanded ACA subsidies (Ballotpedia News, 1-12-26)

Rep. Gomez Votes to Pass Legislation Lowering Health Care by Extending ACA Premium Tax Credits (Gomez, 1-8-26)

17 Republicans vote to restore lapsed Obamacare subsidies (Politico, 1-8-26)

House votes to renew ACA subsidies, as Senate Republicans rebuke Trump on Venezuela (NPR, 1-8-26)

As GOP blows past ObamaCare deadline, is it too late for a deal? (The Hill, 12-19-25)

4 Republicans defy Speaker Johnson to force House vote on extending ACA subsidies (AP News, 12-17-25)

House won't vote on health care tax credit extension, angering GOP moderates (CBS News, 12-16-25)

House Speaker Johnson Rebuffs Efforts to Extend Health Care Subsidies, Pushing Ahead With GOP Plan (US News, 12-16-25)