Sacramento, CA –  The Fight For Our Health campaign – led by Health Access, the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN), and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) California – issued the following statement following today’s passage of a three-year extension of the enhanced premium tax credits under the Affordable Care Act in the House of Representatives. Only one California Republican congressmember, David Valadao, voted for the bill: 

“A small number of Congressional Republicans have finally acted to address the mounting health care affordability crisis, but only after the political repercussions for their decision to allow premiums to skyrocket became too obvious to ignore,” said Amanda McAllister-Wallner. “Their support for a vote to revive the subsidies is too little, too late for California families who have already been forced to choose worse coverage for their families or go without insurance altogether. Their failure in leadership has already caused a 30% decrease in the number of new plan signups for 2026 in Covered California. Congressmember David Valadao’s district has seen a 38% decrease in new enrollment because of his delays. While Republicans slow-walk fixes to the damage of their own design, we will continue to press our representatives to do the right thing and ensure every Californian has access to the care they deserve.”

Background:
President Trump and Congressional Republicans gave massive tax breaks for corporations and the ultra-wealthy when they passed H.R. 1 last year. These handouts were paid for by gutting roughly $1 trillion from Medicare, locking millions of Californians out of Medi-Cal, and failing to extend key subsidies that make health care affordable for residents purchasing coverage through Covered California, the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace. While today’s vote would extend the subsidies, it is unlikely to pass the Senate – and Californians are already feeling the pain. 

During this open enrollment period, premium costs have skyrocketed for Californians who depend on Covered CA to access affordable care. As a direct result of the current subsidy cuts, the cost to purchase coverage through the marketplace for 2026 immediately doubled on average, and in some cases tripled or more. One Bay Area couple reported a premium spike of 800% – a strain on family finances, and a blow to Californians’ health. 

New enrollments are down 30% over last year’s sign-ups. Californians opting to stay covered are paying more for less care. More than a third of newly enrolled consumers are enrolling in Bronze-level coverage as compared to 1 in 5 at the same time last year. These plans have much higher deductibles, reaching $5,800 for an individual, and $11,600 for a family plan. Bronze plans come with higher out-of-pocket costs as well, which put those with significant medical conditions more at risk. Data from Covered California shows average out-of-pocket costs were double for Bronze plans enrollees accessing care during pregnancy, or for breast or prostate cancer. 

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