Rep. Kiggans Continues to Prioritize Billionaires over Working Familiesin Latest Attack on Healthcare

Virginia Beach, VA - This week, Rep. Jen Kiggans announced her intention to raise healthcare costs by eliminating existing subsidies that have allowed families to afford health insurance for over a decade. These income-based subsidies help over 388,000 people in Virginia bridge the gap and access healthcare in communities that previously went without due to exorbitant healthcare premiums and doctor visit fees. 

Representative Kiggans tried to save face when she told Punchbowl that she thinks these tax credits can be “reasonably phased out,” but we know Virginia families rely on them to receive care. Instead of fighting for more affordable healthcare, she is doubling down on making medical care more expensive for those at the bottom and more profitable for billionaires.

“As a stage 4 cancer survivor, I’m alive today because of the Affordable Care Act,” said Laura Packard, Virginia resident. “Families rely on premium tax credits to be able to afford the care that keeps us alive, and losing them would be devastating. Representative Kiggans is fine with these tax credits expiring, even though it means millions will lose their healthcare. Families across Virginia are now left to wonder how high our premiums will climb. Just like everyone else, I’m scared of what my next bill will look like. Congress needs to permanently protect these credits and save health care for millions of Americans."

“Access to healthcare should never be on the chopping block, period,” said Emily Yeatts, Affordable Virginia Campaigns Director. “No one is signing up for health insurance because it’s fun – they are afraid of, and bracing for the worst. We live in a country where medical debt is the norm, and what the ACA did to help alleviate that stress from working families is now being threatened. Because Republicans in Congress would rather carve out another handout for billionaires, they’re willing to put working families’ lives on the line. That Rep. Kiggans is leading this charge is embarrassing and an affront to her constituents. We’re demanding she make these credits permanent for working Virginians.”