Chuck Schumer: “open enrollment is now upon us, and 24 million Americans are now making agonizing decisions--agonizing decisions about…”

“open enrollment is now upon us, and 24 million Americans are now making agonizing decisions--agonizing decisions about what healthcare plans to choose, if they even choose one or are able to afford one; about how much they will be able to pay; and if they can afford healthcare at all. I want to be very clear: This open enrollment is not like open enrollments of previous years. Never have American families faced a situation where their healthcare costs are set to double--double--in the blink of an eye, but that is the reality. If you are an average American on an ACA plan, you live with that. The average American on an ACA plan will pay 114 percent more out of pocket. Four million Americans will lose health insurance entirely. A 60-year-old couple earning $85,000 could pay a staggering $22,600 more a year. How the hell are they going to afford that? Make no mistake, some States will suffer more than others. Here are the States that have seen the biggest increases in enrollment because of the tax credits: Louisiana, Tennessee, West Virginia, Mississippi; in other words, red States. The biggest beneficiaries of these enhanced premium tax credits are in red States--millions of people in both Florida and Texas. Republicans seem ready to tell their own constituents back home: Screw you. I would rather cut taxes for billionaires. That is what is going on. Democrats are going to keep pushing to get these tax credits extended.”