Gov. Pritzker Joins States to Defend Healthcare Access for Families
Joint letter urges Congressional leadership to protect healthcare tax credits that are lifelines for many American families
September 17, 2025
CHICAGO - This week, Governor JB Pritzker joined a coalition of 17 other state governors, issuing a joint letter urging House Speaker Mike Johnson, Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Leader John Thune, and Leader Chuck Schumer to extend the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits (ePTCs).
With the tax credits set to expire at the end of the year and insurers already beginning to set 2026 rates, this united front of state leaders represents an effort to lock in lower premiums for working families. Without Congressional action, the effects of premium surges will be felt nationwide for years.
“For many hardworking families across Illinois, these tax credits keep affordable healthcare within reach,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Families shouldn’t have to choose between having healthcare and putting food on the table. Republicans in Congress had no issue cutting taxes for billionaires, so they should have no issue extending tax relief for their own constituents who will suffer if they expire. This shouldn’t be a partisan issue – it’s common sense.”
Governor Pritzker signed the letter alongside Governors of the states of Delaware, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin, making a crucial call to action to safeguard healthcare.
Allowing ePTCs to expire has the following devastating impacts:
- More Uninsured Americans: More people will be uninsured, because healthcare will no longer be affordable. ePTCs are widely credited with record levels of enrollment in ACA plans across the country by making ACA plans more affordable for working families. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that there will be 2.2 million newly uninsured people in 2026 alone due to the expiration of the tax credits.
- Insurance Premiums and Healthcare Costs will Continue to Rise for Everyone: The more uninsured people in the U.S., the more healthcare providers and insurers raise costs to compensate. This includes insurance premiums as well as costs of services through medical providers.
For those who remain enrolled in an ACA Marketplace plan, their costs will also rise. As a result of the Trump’s budget bill, ACA premiums are expected to rise by 75% for working families, with Illinoisans expected to pay an average of $1,032 more per year in premiums, and rural Illinoisans seeing an estimated $1,700 increase.
The ACA’s enhanced subsidies have been making healthcare more affordable for Americans since they were introduced in 2020, and they were renewed in 2022. Eliminating lifeline tax credits and spiking healthcare costs for Americans, all while lining the pocketbooks of the wealthiest, spells disaster for working families.
In addition to impacts to the ACA, Trump’s budget bill will have devastating impacts on healthcare access in Illinois as a whole, including the largest cut to Medicaid in American history, stripping healthcare from an estimated 330,000 Illinoisans. Out-of-pocket expenses for Illinoisans enrolled in Medicaid are also expected to rise; Illinois couples earning just over $21,000 per year could pay over $1,000 more in annual medical costs. This law hits Illinois families in rural areas particularly hard, jeopardizing 9 rural hospitals and over 90 nursing homes and putting entire communities at risk of losing reliable, accessible care.
The full letter can be accessed here:
ACA Tax Credit Sign-On Letter_091525.pdf
PDF - 743 Kb
###