Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly on Tuesday met with workers in Phoenix whose health care premiums have skyrocketed in the new year.
He told them it’s unlikely Senate Republicans will vote to renew subsidies that kept costs down before 2026.
Democrats forced a federal government shutdown last October, warning of the cost to Americans if Affordable Care Act subsidies were allowed to expire.
At the time, Republican lawmakers argued the subsidy issue should be handled separately from budget talks.
But while a group of House Republicans voted with Democrats to extend ACA subsidies earlier this month, Kelly said the measure is stalled in the Senate without GOP support.
“They can’t afford their health care anymore. I've talked to a lot of folks from down in Yuma to Flagstaff and every place in between. You heard a guy in here, right? His ACA premium went from $500 to $2,000 a month,” Kelly said.
Kelly said while some of his Republican colleagues quietly want to renew the subsidies, it’s too small a group to get to the majority needed in the Senate.
“We're trying to bring some help, you know, but there has to be some serious legislation passed to try to fix this, you know, mid-year. It's challenging. I'm going to be honest. It's not likely,” Kelly said.
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