At a Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing, Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal spoke about the potential negative impact on veterans and their families if the Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits are not extended. According to recent analysis, 267,000 veterans who currently rely on these credits would lose access to affordable ACA marketplace coverage if the credits expire at the end of the year.
Blumenthal highlighted the urgency ahead of a scheduled vote on a Democratic proposal to extend these tax credits for three more years. He stated, “…[W]e have to recognize the importance of votes that we will take tomorrow, one of them to extend the health care tax credits under the Affordable Care Act that will affect literally 267,000 veterans who rely on the ACA enhanced premium tax credits to afford health insurance. And whether you support the ACA, whether you have other views on what might be a perfect system in the long run if we had tons of time, the simple fact is we face a deadline at the end of the year when these tax credits will expire and 267,000 veterans will no longer be able to afford ACA coverage if these credits are not extended.”
He added that most affected veterans do not qualify for Medicaid, TRICARE, or Medicare and often cannot get care through Veterans Affairs (VA), making ACA marketplace plans their only option. “These are primarily veterans not eligible for Medicaid, TRICARE, or Medicare, and often not eligible to get care through VA – leaving them with ACA marketplace plans as their only option for health care coverage. The ACA isn’t perfect… but the fact of the matter is the consequences of failing to extend these tax credits will be devastating for veterans and their families. Veterans will be forced to navigate a perfect storm – an understaffed VA health care system, increased wait times for VA health care, Medicaid cuts, and the loss of affordable health insurance. They deserve better. So do millions of Americans who will be impacted by the potential failure to extend these tax credits. I hope that we approve them to the benefit of those veterans and countless other Americans affected.”
The senator also noted that many veterans benefiting from ACA tax credits are excluded from other public programs or partial VA healthcare coverage. Additionally, he mentioned that 1.6 million veterans and four million family members use Medicaid or CHIP and could lose this coverage due to new legislation known as “Big Beautiful Bill.” One in ten veterans under age 65 depend on Medicaid; forty percent rely solely on it.
Blumenthal criticized Republicans for declining so far to cooperate with Democrats in extending enhanced premium tax credits that have helped millions afford insurance nationwide. He warned that without action, tens of millions across America could see premiums double or triple next year amid upcoming Medicare and Medicaid cuts.
During his remarks at today’s hearing—where bipartisan bills were discussed—Blumenthal thanked Mr. Stichman and Yale Veterans Legal Services Clinic for efforts aimed at improving federal appellate court processing of VA appeals. He expressed support for several measures including:
- The Veterans Appeals Efficiency Act
- The Molly Loomis Act (focused on health conditions among descendants exposed to toxic substances)
- The Commission on Equity and Reconciliation in Uniformed Services Act (addressing discrimination against LGBTQ+ servicemembers)
“These measures are not partisan,” Blumenthal said. “This Committee generally is not partisan. And I welcome the support of my Republican colleagues for many of these important measures that we hopefully will advance after today’s hearing.”
Video footage and full text of Blumenthal’s statement were made available following his remarks.
