Sen. Ruben Gallego says many Arizonans face insurance premium spike if no deal reached

PHOENIX – U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego said Friday many of his Arizona constituents will be shocked by their new health insurance premiums if the federal government shutdown drags on much longer.

Gallego and most of his Democratic Senate colleagues have been voting against a House-approved bill to reopen the government at continuing funding levels because they first want Republicans to extend tax credits that reduce the cost of Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace policies for millions of Americans.

Even before the shutdown, Arizona officials were warning residents about projected ACA rate spikes. Next year’s premiums will be revealed when open enrollment begins Nov. 1.

“There’s going to be close to half a million Arizonans, they’re going to see their premiums double,” Gallego told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News. “They’re going to open up, try to find a plan, and they’re going to see that their plan that they want has doubled from last year.”

Sen. Ruben Gallego willing to change ACA tax credit

Gallego said he’s willing to adjust income qualifications for ACA subsidies but accused Republicans of refusing to negotiate on the matter since the shutdown began Oct. 1.

“I’m all for reforming ACA,” he said. “You should always be looking at all government programs and seeing what’s the best way you could be more efficient, make sure there’s less corruption, things of that nature, but they’re not even trying to do that.”

Gallego added that high earners aren’t the ones who will suffer if the credits go away.

“The median Arizona person that’s on the ACA is going to see their insurance premiums double. Not the person making $200,000, $300,000. (It’s) the person making $50,000,” he said.

Gallego said Democrats are holding firm on their stance because of a looming deadline to extend the credits.

“If we don’t get this done by Dec. 1, these poor people are going to have their insurance rates … locked in for a year, or some of them are just going to walk away from having insurance altogether, which makes us all end up paying more in terms of our insurance premiums,” he said.

Republicans are ‘trying to run out the clock,’ Gallego says

While some Republicans have expressed a willingness to address the ACA tax credits after Democrats agree to end the shutdown, Gallego expressed skepticism about President Donald Trump’s motives.

“He hopes that he could just basically scare us and other members of Congress into voting for a bad bill that will reopen government but not actually deal with the insurance premiums,” Gallego said.

Gallego also expressed concerns that Republicans are trying to leverage the current situation to advance efforts to eliminate the ACA, which is also known as Obamacare.

“They’re just trying to run out the clock in the hopes of just basically killing Obamacare, which is what they always wanted to do, and this is the best way they could do it without actually having to take a vote,” he said.

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