The NAACP has issued the following statement advocating for affordable healthcare to be protected in the Continuing Resolution (CR) government funding package:

“America is only as healthy as its people,” said Derrick Johnson, NAACP President and CEO. “Nearly 24 million people rely on individual insurance purchased with the help of the Affordable Care Act’s Tax Credit, but Senators are now considering an extreme bill that would not renew funding for those tax credits — resulting in nearly 4 million people losing their healthcare coverage. And it would cause over 20 million people to see their premiums increase by an average of 75-100%. Trump’s threat to affordable health coverage is immediate and severe. If healthcare coverage is not protected, the Senate must vote NO on Trump’s funding bill.”

By not extending the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) Tax Credits in the CR, the costs for people who purchase their health insurance through the ACA marketplace would skyrocket. When millions of Americans can’t afford health insurance, they’ll have less support when sick, hurting us all. 

The Affordable Care Act’s Tax Credits are, in part, paid for by tax dollars from the American people. This is public funding and should go towards benefiting the public. This isn’t a Black issue or a white issue. This is an American issue, and real American lives are at stake.

The NAACP is urging Americans nationwide to contact their Senators and urge them to protect healthcare coverage. For more information on NAACP’s ‘No Healthcare, No Vote’ campaign, visit naacp.org.