By Laura Gillen
One of the top issues I heard about when I campaigned for Congress was that it was getting more expensive to live on Long Island, and people were worried about whether they could afford to stay here. And as we face a cost-of-living crisis, the rising cost of health care has become crippling to young people, families and seniors alike.
Rising medical bills are forcing Americans in every state to face the prospect of choosing between paying for groceries and going to the doctor’s office. When I came to Congress, I vowed to work in a bipartisan way to reduce Nassau County families’ cost of living, and in particular the cost of health care.
Unfortunately, we have seen the congressional majority refuse to act on bringing down the costs of prescription drugs or monthly insurance bills. In fact, their cuts to our medical system will move us in the wrong direction and raise Americans’ medical expenses. First they passed the “Big Beautiful Bill” without any bipartisan input earlier this year. It included the largest cuts to Medicaid in its history, which will result in millions of Americans losing their insurance coverage and make it harder for seniors to afford nursing homes or other long-term care.
The impact of these budget cuts will stretch far beyond just those on Medicaid. At a nonpartisan budget briefing I held earlier this year with Rep. Tom Suozzi, hundreds of Long Islanders heard from former Northwell Health CEO Michael Dowling about how the cuts to Medicaid mean that all Americans can expect more expensive insurance coverage and reduced services at hospitals, doctors’ offices and other health care providers.
Next, as we were looking to fund the government, Democrats sought to discuss with Republicans the urgent need to keep health care affordable by extending Affordable Care Act tax credits that have helped millions of families afford health care by reducing their monthly insurance bills. For years, families in both red and blue states have relied on these credits for coverage, but they are set to lapse at the end of the year, which would throw millions of Americans into financial uncertainty.
Preserving these tax credits should be a bipartisan priority. In the House, I called for both sides to come on board and help American families. But the majority refused to discuss the issue, and instead passed a continuing resolution that will allow the credits to expire at the end of the year. Since then, they have refused to even negotiate a bipartisan path forward despite the credits’ looming end.
I’ve heard from many Nassau County residents who are deeply concerned that their health care costs are set to skyrocket under the majority’s plan. A Floral Park woman was notified that her monthly insurance premium would rise by $1,500, and an Oceanside resident reported that her premiums, deductibles and co-pay were all set to increase drastically. When these premiums go up, families will have no choice but to go uninsured, and young people will forgo insurance coverage.
When the uninsured rate increases, the cost of health care rises for us all. Health care experts at the nonpartisan Century Foundation have warned that the expiration of these tax credits will result in the largest single-year premium spike in our nation’s history for all Americans, even those with private insurance. The nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation reports that a family of four could see their annual insurance bill increase by over $13,000, and a single mother could face a price hike of more than $10,000 for coverage, while a couple in their 60s might see their premiums rise by over $20,000.
This should not be a partisan fight. Every member of Congress has a responsibility to make life more affordable for the people we represent, and that is what I’ve been doing. I’ll work with anyone, from any party, to continue bringing costs down and to ensure that people have health care.
Right now, Congress should be in session and at work negotiating a bipartisan package that lowers costs and protects quality, affordable health care in an economically sound way. Instead of listening to the intolerant extremes on either side, we should work together to solve the problems that our constituents sent us to Washington to fix. I’m committed to that aim, and I’ll continue to fight for bipartisan solutions that lower costs and make life better for Long Islanders.
Laura Gillen represents the 4th Congressional District.
