Summary
- Progressive
group “Unrig Our Economy” launched ads criticizing the GOP. - Ads
accuse Republicans of raising healthcare costs and risking shutdown. - GOP
blamed for cutting Medicaid and giving tax breaks to billionaires.
In an ad campaign started Monday, a progressive economic
advocacy group attacked congressional Republicans for “raising Americans’
healthcare costs and threatening a government shutdown” in order to
provide tax cuts to the wealthy.
Through Medicaid cuts, support for cost-raising tariffs, and
the provision of enormous tax incentives to the ultrawealthy, the group claims
that 14 Republican senators “repeatedly put the wants of billionaires over
the needs of working families.”
The ad’s narrator says:
“Republicans in Congress are
threatening to shut down our government unless they get what they want—ending
tax credits for healthcare and raising your insurance premiums. Now they’re
willing to shut down the government for even higher costs for us, our
neighbors, and our entire community.”
“By threatening to shut down the government unless they can
allow healthcare tax credits to expire, they are putting millions of Americans
at risk of paying even higher costs or losing healthcare entirely,”
Tal added.
“These ads urge Republicans in Congress to reverse course to actually protect
Americans’ healthcare and avoid a government shutdown.”
Healthcare and consumer activists are cautioning
that millions of Americans will either lose their insurance coverage or see
their rates increase as the midnight deadline on Wednesday to prevent a
shutdown rapidly draws near. That is precisely what GOP lawmakers want,
according to some critics.
The White House Office of Management and Budget gave federal
agencies instructions last week to get ready to lay off a large number of
workers in the event that the government shuts down. Critics say OMB Director
Russell Vought is using this directive as leverage against Senate Democrats who
obstructed the passage of a short-term spending measure in the House.
Meanwhile, Democrats are trying to work together on a
bipartisan package that would extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies that are
about to expire at the end of this year.
How would a shutdown affect Medicaid and insurance costs?
Both programs fall under mandated spending, which means
their funding is not directly impacted by a shutdown. Payments to providers
usually continue, with beneficiaries not losing immediate access to coverage or
benefits.
With many federal employees furloughed, some administrative
functions associated with Medicaid and Medicare, such as processing new
enrollments, claims reimbursements, and audits may be delayed. This could
result in slower reimbursements to providers and delays with processing benefits.
If the federal ACA premium tax credits lapse due to the
shutdown, along with congressional negotiations being stalled, many millions of
Americans could eventually face significant premium costs for insurance or lose
their eligibility for subsidies and end up paying higher out-of-pocket costs.
