Gov. Healey demands Congressional action on Obamacare tax credits
Um, Well, good morning. Uh, thank you for coming. I’m joined here today by Audrey Morse Gasteyer, executive director of the Massachusetts Health Connector. I wanted to be here because I wanted to let you know about where we stand on healthcare. This summer, President Trump and Congress passed legislation that cut that took away $1 trillion in healthcare. That’s had big impacts on everyone in every single state in this country. Everyone’s premiums have gone up. Every hospital, health center, and nursing home is hurting. It’s harder to get doctor’s appointments. People are losing care, and it’s putting at risk access to care and services that people need. Now what’s making this even worse is that Donald Trump is canceling the program that allows nearly 400,000 Massachusetts residents to have health insurance. Here’s what I mean. Under the Affordable Care Act, people have been able to buy health insurance the last few years through the Health Connector program here in Massachusetts through *** marketplace. These plans have been subsidized by tax credits that have been made available to people. Earlier this year, President Trump and the Republicans in Congress refused to extend these tax credits, so as *** result, this program that provides health insurance to nearly 400,000 people in Massachusetts and hundreds of millions across the country is going to expire at the end of this month. Now Let me tell you who we’re talking about, OK? Of the 400,000 people, *** lot of them are small business owners, they’re people who are self-employed, they’re middle class families, single parents all across our state. But unfortunately because of President Trump and Republicans in Congress, these tax credits are gonna expire and people are essentially going to lose their health care coverage. Um, I mean that because, uh, what’s gonna happen is without these tax credits people are gonna see their health insurance costs go up, double, triple. Um, some families are gonna find themselves paying. As much as $25,000 *** year for health care coverage. Nobody can afford that kind of increase. Nobody can afford that kind of increase. So, uh, these, uh, disastrous price increases go in effect in, uh, in less than 3 weeks now, and as *** result, we’re going to see Bay Staters, um, all over the place effectively lose their healthcare, lose their, their healthcare insurance. I’ve repeatedly called on President Trump and Republicans in Congress to act. All they need to do is just take *** vote and extend these credits for some amount of time, because if they don’t, people are going to suffer. People are going to go without care. It’s totally unaffordable. It’s totally unacceptable, and it just doesn’t need to be. I really worry about the woman right now who’s getting treatment for breast cancer. What’s she going to do when these rates go up? Um, she’s not gonna be able to afford it. What do we say to people with heart disease right now who are going to lose access to their treatment, um, and won’t get the care that they desperately need, our kids who need access to medications for asthma and other things. I mean, at the end of the day, people here in Massachusetts and around this country, because of what Donald Trump has done and because of what congressional Republicans have done, are going to lose their health insurance. It’s just not right and it just doesn’t need to be this way. So there’s still time for Washington to fix this. Um, there’s *** vote this Thursday. This Thursday, senators will be voting on whether or not to extend health care for Americans. I call on them to vote to provide this health care coverage, and I call on President Trump, who, by the way, is making *** speech, um, I think today. All he needs to do is direct them to provide this health insurance, to not take away healthcare coverage for millions and millions of Americans, including those here in Massachusetts. It’s very simple, and my message to President Trump and Congress is simple do your job, fix this, and protect people. Protect people by making sure that they continue to have health care coverage and that their costs not go up. People can’t afford health care coverage as it is, and President Trump needs to take action to keep costs from going up if he cares about affordability and to ensure that people continue to have access to this health care coverage. Um, I’ve also looked at what we can do as *** state to help people in this current moment. Uh, I’ve directed Director Director Gasteer to go to DC tomorrow. She will be testifying before Congress on this issue to lay out the impacts here in Massachusetts, um, so that no one in Washington can say that they don’t know what’s happening and that they don’t know the impact that this is gonna have on Americans around this country and that it’s up to them to do the right thing. The other thing I’ve done is, uh, because I’m gonna do all that I can here in Massachusetts to help residents deal with the current situation. I’m doing this because lowering your health care costs is important to me. I wanna lower your healthcare costs and do everything I can to do that, even if the president and Congress are going in another direction. And I want to make sure that you and your family have access to the care that you need. That’s why earlier this year, I capped deductibles and co-pays for the first time in our state’s history. We’ve set up *** website right now that you can go on if you’re one of those 400,000 people out there facing this devastating cliff in just 3 weeks, you can go to the Health Connector website. We set up *** portal there, um, and you can understand your options. They’re laid out for you and your family. And we have people standing by who are ready to help you and ready to help you navigate this current landscape. But the most critical thing in this moment is for President Trump and Republicans in Congress to act and to vote on Thursday to extend these credits so that people’s health care does not get canceled in this country, and I ask everybody to call on Republicans in Congress and in the Senate. To vote on Thursday to save health care, to protect Americans, to protect people here in Massachusetts, tell them to extend those health care credits. It’s that simple. Tell them to do their job, get it done. People are dealing with enough uncertainty and anxiety, and every day I’m focused on affordability, uh, driving down housing costs, energy costs, and yes, health care costs, and I hope that the president, when he makes *** speech today about affordability, does the simplest thing he can and.
Gov. Healey demands Congressional action on Obamacare tax credits
Updated: 10:36 AM EST Dec 9, 2025
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey spoke out on Tuesday in support of extending federal tax credits that kept health insurance premiums in check. The tax credits have been at the heart of fierce discussions in Congress in recent weeks, with Democrats insisting that they be extended to help Americans with rising health costs. The Senate is expected to vote this week on a Democratic proposal to extend the subsidies without major changes. But Republicans in charge have already rejected that proposal, and hopes for any extension are diminishing with many Republicans opposed.Subsidies were first established in 2021 and extended one year later. The fight over another extension was at the heart of the recent government shutdown.Without Congressional action, Healey’s office estimates that 337,000 Massachusetts residents who purchase their coverage through the Health Connector will see premiums increase as much as $20,000 in 2026. The governor, who is a Democrat, and state officials are also expected to showcase updates to the tool, which are intended to help residents understand the federal changes. Video below: Government shutdown, health care coverage
BOSTON —
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey spoke out on Tuesday in support of extending federal tax credits that kept health insurance premiums in check.
The tax credits have been at the heart of fierce discussions in Congress in recent weeks, with Democrats insisting that they be extended to help Americans with rising health costs. The Senate is expected to vote this week on a Democratic proposal to extend the subsidies without major changes. But Republicans in charge have already rejected that proposal, and hopes for any extension are diminishing with many Republicans opposed.
Subsidies were first established in 2021 and extended one year later. The fight over another extension was at the heart of the recent government shutdown.
Without Congressional action, Healey’s office estimates that 337,000 Massachusetts residents who purchase their coverage through the Health Connector will see premiums increase as much as $20,000 in 2026.
The governor, who is a Democrat, and state officials are also expected to showcase updates to the tool, which are intended to help residents understand the federal changes.
Video below: Government shutdown, health care coverage