WELCH TO BRING VERMONTER HIT BY SKYROCKETING HEALTH INSURANCE COSTS TO STATE OF THE UNION

The following information was released by Vermont Senator Peter Welch:

Welch urges President Trump tocome to the table withDemocrats toextendpremiumcredits

WASHINGTON, D.C.Today,U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.),a member of the Senate Finance Committee, announcedhe will bringAlyssa Blackashis guest to the 2026 State of the Union address. Alyssa is one of more than 30,000 Vermonterswho lost access to enhanced Affordable CareAct's premiumtax creditsafterCongressionalRepublicans and the Trump Administration refused to work with Congressional Democrats to extend them. Millionsof peopleacrossthe countrynow facedouble, or even triple,premium costsorare forced to gowithout coveragealtogether.

Alyssa Black isfrom Essex, Vermont. She is a small business owner and amember of the Vermont State House of Representatives. Representative Black chairs the House Committee on Health Care.

"President Trump'srefusal to work with Democrats toextend ACA creditsandprotectaccess to health coverage is really shocking, andit'simportanttoshow howthis is hurting hardworking people in Vermont and across the country. Extending these tax creditsisn'ta nice-to-do,it'sa must-do,"saidU.S.SenatorPeterWelch. "President Trump will claimhe'sloweringcosts, but the facts are clear: millions of Americans are being forced to pay more for theirhealth coverage, andhe'sdonelittleto lower the cost of prescription drugsin a sustainable, durable way. His promises will require action from Congressand that means he needs to work with Democrats, not against them.

"I'mthankful to be joined by Vermont Representative Alyssa Black at the State of the Union. Not only is she personallyimpacted, butshe'salso fighting in the state to protect access to carein Vermont. As a small business owner and the Chair of the Vermont House Health Care Committee, she knows all too well how the chaos on Pennsylvania Avenue is hurting Main Streets in Vermont,"Welch concluded.

"Thousands of Vermonters have been hurt by the affordability crisis, which this administration isexacerbatingespeciallywiththeir refusal to protect access to health care coverageand lower health care costs. Iwas personally threatened by the extreme spikes in health care premiumsafter theACAtax credits expired, as were thousands of hardworking families across Vermont.It'simportant Washington hears it in a direct andclear way: wecan'tafford more inaction and broken promises on health care,"said Alyssa Black, small businessownerand member of the Vermont State House of Representatives.

TheAffordable Care Act's premium tax creditsexpired at theend of 2025, andnowmillions of Americansare forced to pay higherpremiumsfor their health coverage inthe new year. Many saw their premiums double, or even triple.More than30,000Vermontersaccess health coverage through theACAmarketplace andutilizethesecriticalhealth caretax credits. Nationally, more than 24 million Americansare now forced to pay higher premiums, including 1 in 4 people with chronic conditions, 3.3 million small businesses, and 1.6 million children.

Congressional Democrats have repeatedly urged their Republican colleagues to work with them to extend the tax credits and protect access to care for millions. Senator Welch helped unveil SenateDemocrats'plan to extend the tax creditsfor three years, but Republicans opposed the bill. Senator Welch was part of a bipartisan working group fighting to extend the credits, andspoke with President TrumpandSecretary Kennedy in the Oval Office about the urgent need to extend the credits. So far, the president and Congressional Republicans have refused to act.