Local union leaders and healthcare advocates are calling for congressional lawmakers to preserve healthcare tax credits for those covered under the Affordable Care Act.
The subsidies are one of the sticking points in the standoff between Republicans and Democrats in Congress -- threatening a government shutdown starting October 1.
The threatened ACA tax credits help people afford health insurance they buy through the ACA marketplace.
Asim Johnson, advocate at the Healthcare Education Project, said there are 200,000 New Yorkers that currently benefit from the subsidies.
"Here in Erie County, there are over 50,000 residents that receive lower monthly premiums due to the ACA subsidies. This is a lifeline for many working families, small businesses, self-employed freelancers, entrepreneurs, as well as rural and older Americans," Johnson said.
Those credits expire at the end of 2025, and Johnson warns thousands of Western New Yorkers stand to lose access to lower premiums if they are not renewed as part of a short-term agreement - known as a continuing resolution - that would avoid the looming government shutdown.
Democrats are pushing to extend the ACA credits within that agreement, but Republicans don’t want that -- instead preferring to avoid policy changes and to negotiate healthcare issues later.
"Our hospitals will face a surge of uninsured patients," said Grace Bogdanove, the area vice president of 1199 SEIU's nursing home division for Western New York. "They'll be forced to take on new huge costs to treat them, and without funds to provide necessary treatment, services will be impacted for all Americans.
"Faced with these increased costs our already underfunded hospitals will undoubtedly close," she said.
That’s already happening for some local healthcare services after cuts made within the Trump administration’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.” Last month, Kaleida Health announced they will close two Therapy Services Clinics in November – one in Amherst and the other in North Tonawanda – due to Medicaid cuts. Bogdanove said congressional Democrats are "holding the line" by insisting the credits are included in the continuing resolution.
"If the government is to shut down, that is the fault of the Republicans who are refusing to extend the tax credits here under the ACA," she insisted.
Republican congressman for New York’s 23rd District, Nick Langworthy, did not return BTPM NPR’s request for comment.
Congressman Tim Kennedy, a Democrat who represents New York's 26th District, said in a statement:
“As the only occupational therapist in Congress, I’ve seen firsthand how access to high-quality, affordable healthcare can change lives. Yet at a time when we should be supporting hospitals, clinics, and patients, President Trump and Congressional Republicans are choosing to gut our healthcare system at the expense of hardworking Americans to pay for tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy. Republicans need to come back to Washington, fund the government properly, and cancel the cuts.”
