Emily Randall: “The gentlewoman is right. I think all of us have been receiving stories, texts, emails, and phone calls from neighbors…”

“The gentlewoman is right. I think all of us have been receiving stories, texts, emails, and phone calls from neighbors, friends, families, and constituents around the country who are impacted by rising healthcare costs because of the decisions that Republican leadership has made. It is certainly not just my district. We know that in central Washington and Washington's Fourth District, a family of four earning $66,000 a year is seeing annual premium increases of $2,651. In Louisiana's Fourth District, we are seeing a family of four that is earning $66,000 have the same increase. In Texas, a 60-year-old couple earning $85,600 a year would see their premiums increase 333 percent, $20,466. The numbers can sometimes feel abstract, right? What are those numbers? They are people. Amanda in Bremerton told us that for her family, the ACA credits were the only way that she could afford healthcare. If they lose the discount with the ACA, they wouldn't be able to have healthcare, period. Her family members won't be able to afford the medications that they need to help keep them alive. Healthcare should be affordable for all citizens in the United States. Amanda is worried that they will possibly lose their home if they get sick and have to go to a doctor.”