Senate ACA Bill Should Strengthen Access — Not Limit It, Advocates Say

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 2, 2025
Contact: Jack Cardinal, jcardinal@communitycatalyst.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. — With the Senate set to vote on legislation to extend vital ACA tax credits, Community Catalyst is urging Congress to stay focused on what families need: affordable coverage that protects their health and economic well-being — not policies that strip millions of their care. 

Statement from Michelle Sternthal, Director of Government Affairs, Community Catalyst, the national health justice organization:

“We have a health care crisis in this country — one that Congress helped create that Congress must now address. But lawmakers cannot do that by undermining reproductive health care, restricting access for immigrants, or leaving in place the destructive health care cuts embedded in President Trump’s so-called ‘Big Beautiful Bill.’ These policies are already terminating Medicaid coverage for millions, pricing people out of care, instituting punitive work requirements, and accelerating rural hospital closures across the country. 

“Any bill extending the ACA tax credits must: continue the current structure of the enhanced premium tax credits; include no new restrictions on reproductive health or abortion; and protect coverage options for lawfully present immigrants, including DACA recipients. Ultimately, Congress must repeal the health care cuts in the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ that are destabilizing coverage and the health system itself.

“Anything else will deepen the health care affordability crisis, not solve it. The plain truth is this: premium spikes, Medicaid losses, and the rollback of enhanced premium tax credits hit Black, Latinx, and immigrant families hardest because decades of policy decisions have limited wages, wealth, and access to stable, affordable coverage.

“Congress should pass a clean extension of the tax credits, repeal the dangerous health care provisions of the ‘Big Beautiful Bill,’ and protect the communities who rely on them the most. Because affordable, accessible care isn’t just good policy — it’s the foundation of a stronger, more resilient nation.”

Community Catalyst is calling for: 

  1. Clean extension of the current enhanced premium tax credits (ePTCs)
    Any extension must maintain the current structure of the enhanced PTCs — including access for low-income, lawfully present immigrants who are eligible today (for 2025 coverage).
  2. No new restrictions on reproductive health, including abortion
    Exclude any riders or amendments that further limit access to reproductive health care, including abortion.
  3. Protect and maintain coverage options for lawfully present immigrants, including DACA recipients
    Ensure no disruptions to PTCs, Marketplace coverage, or Medicaid pathways
  4. Repeal the “Big Beautiful Bill’s” health care cuts, which are already stripping people of care
    Provisions in the “Big Beautiful Bill” are actively terminating Medicaid coverage for millions, imposing punitive work requirements, raising out-of-pocket costs, and widening racial and economic inequities.
  5. Address the growing consequences of the “Big Beautiful Bill,” including rural hospital closures
    Hospitals serving rural and low-income communities are already reporting rising uncompensated care costs and reduced revenue tied to the “Big Beautiful Bill’s” Medicaid losses — pushing some facilities to scale back services or shut down entirely.
  6. Ensure no policy changes that would price people out of care
    Congress must reject coverage exclusions, work requirements, and other barriers that destabilize families’ health and economic security.

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About Community Catalyst:

Community Catalyst is a leading non-profit national health advocacy organization dedicated to advancing a movement for race equity and health justice. We partner with local, state and national advocates to leverage and build power so all people can influence decisions that affect their health. Health systems will not be accountable to people without a fully engaged and organized community voice. That’s why we work every day to ensure people’s interests are represented wherever important decisions about health and health care are made: in communities, state houses and on Capitol Hill. For more information, visit www.communitycatalyst.org.