The end of the year is fast approaching -- Americans are gathering with loved ones to celebrate holidays, making New Year's resolutions… and
watching in horror as a healthcare crisis speeds towards them in 2026.You see, the beginning of 2026 is when Affordable Care Act tax credits are set to expire. These tax credits were put in place by President Biden during the height of the pandemic. When these expire,
struggling families could see healthcare premiums rise by $1,000 a year or more next year.
It is estimated that
20 million people will be affected.
Democrats' solution is simple: extend the federal subsidies that are keeping families from medical related financial disaster. But of course,
Republicans refuse to take the simple, compassionate route -- the party itself has remained divided on a new plan, and any of their proposed "solutions" are disastrous.
On Thursday, December 11,
two plans went to the Senate floor for a vote. Democrats proposed a 3 year extension of the ACA tax credits. Republicans proposed their removal entirely, rerouting funds into savings accounts for Americans on "catastrophic" plans on the ACA. This would basically hike healthcare prices only to dole out savings later for struggling Americans; an inhumane, too-little-too-late plan that delays help until after people have already hit rock bottom.
Both plans failed in an utterly divided Senate.It seems that every few years, the government is weighing its options:
help Americans stay healthy and safe, or allow insurance companies to line their pockets with the misfortune of sick, vulnerable people.Sign the petition and demand a real, long-lasting solution: Medicare for All!Even with the ACA subsidies in place, millions of people are struggling.
Approximately 42% of people with cancer use up all of their life savings within 2 years of being diagnosed. On average, Americans' lives end 4 years earlier than their counterparts in other wealthy nations.
Each year, 68,000 people die because they can't even afford the basic fees for going to a doctor at all. And, out of all wealthy nations on the planet,
the U.S. has the highest rate of infant deaths before their first birthdays.How is this all happening in the richest country in the world?
Corporate greed, obviously. Private, for-profit health insurance corporations and even for-profit hospital chains have spent decades lobbying Congress to make sure they can keep milking Americans for as much money as they're worth --
right up until their final breaths.This issue is terribly pervasive;
the 'debate' over whether or not to help sick Americans was the literal cause of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history that happened earlier this year. Democrats insisted that the impending 2026 budget include a solution for ACA subsidies ending; Republicans rejected any and all solutions, and like petulant kids, shut the government down entirely instead.
This meant that millions of federal workers went without pay; air travel saw severe interruptions;
people depending on food assistance went hungry; and the economy took a severe hit.
All of this volatility and devastation would be avoided if we had Medicare for All -- this would ensure that every person has access to comprehensive healthcare services, including dental, vision, mental health services, and more. And it would ensure that people's health plans are no longer tied to their jobs, giving workers the freedom to change careers or find different employers without worrying that their families' literal lives will be at risk.
Luckily, there is already a bill on the table:
the Medicare for All Act. Introduced in both the Senate and the House, by Senator Bernie Sanders and Representatives Pramila Jayapal and Debbie Dingell respectively,
this bill would make sure that no one would go bankrupt because of injury or sickness -- something that sounds so obvious, we can't believe it's not true yet. Sign the petition to demand that the U.S. Congress get its priorities right and pass the Medicare for All Act!