Health care advocates and progressive groups across Florida said the U.S. Senate's votes to not extend tax subsidies for Affordable Care Act plans was a "disheartening setback" that will significantly raise the cost of health insurance for nearly 5 million Floridians.
The Senate on Thursday rejected two proposals to address the problem, and an emerging health care package from House Republicans does not include an extension. That means many people will likely see much higher insurance costs in 2026 after the subsides expire Dec. 31.
Florida's senators — Republicans Rick Scott and Ashley Moody — joined the majority in voting against the bills.
Scott said the ACA has failed and needs to be overhauled.
In a Dec. 1 op-ed published by Fox News, Scott said the 15-year-old health plan "created a system that enriched insurance companies and hospitals and screwed over Americans." Last month, he proposed a new bill, the More Affordable Care Act, to "fix Obamacare and drive down costs for the American people.
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Because of the COVID-19 pandamic, Congress passed the American Rescue Plan in 2021. The act temporarily increased the ACA tax credits and allowed some Americans who weren’t previously eligible to receive them. The credits were extended through 2025 as part of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.
Many progressive-leaning advocacy organizations in Florida said they have been lobbying Congress for months to extend the subsidies because they make health insurance more affordable.
"Letting these enhanced premium tax credits expire will increase the population of uninsured people in Florida to levels we haven't seen since before the Affordable Care Act," said Erica Li, health policy analyst for the Florida Policy Institute. "The result would be catastrophic, with Florida experiencing the deepest impacts of any state in the nation."
Li predicted many Floridians will be forced to pay much more for insurance premiums or may go withou coverage.
"The runaway costs of health insurance make it clear that significant reforms are needed," said Scott Darius, executive director of Florida Voices for Health. "Florida's working middle class continues to be squeezed by the cost of living and urgently needs relief to afford coverage."
Zelalem Adefris, CEO of Catalyst Miami, said Miami-Dade County will be most impacted because it has the highest number of ACA marketplace enrollees in the country. About 1 million Miami-Dade residents qualify for the subsidies.
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"Floridians are bracing for higher premiums, coverage losses and delayed treatment at a time when access to affordable health care has never been more vital," said Melanie Williams, policy director for Florida Health Justice Project. "This decision deepens inequities and puts the health and financial stability of millions at risk. We urgently call on federal leaders to reverse course and protect the life-saving coverage our communities depend on, our lives depend on it."
Jared Nordlund, state director for UnidosUS, the nation's largest Hispanic civil rights organization, said the actions in Congress are "a painful reminder of how out of touch some of our federal leaders are with the everyday realities facing Florida's families."
"By voting against extending the ACA's enhanced premium tax credits, U.S. Sens. Rick Scott and Ashley Moody have put the health and financial stability of millions at risk," he said. "These credits have been a lifeline for 4.7 million Floridians, including many Hispanics, who depend on affordable coverage to keep their families healthy and secure."
Coy Jones, Florida political director of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East and SEIU Florida State Council vice president, said rejection of the legislation will leave many Floridians choosing to go uninsured because of the highcost.
"Our union of nurses and other frontline health care workers know painfully well the suffering that will result in a vote that makes health insurance unaffordable to millions of Floridians," Jones said. "Our family members and friends will skip essential care; or they will end up in crisis at the emergency room, exponentially increasing the cost of care to all of us."
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