Murphy Statement on Passage of Temporary, COVID-era Obamacare Subsidies

Washington, D.C. — Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D., issued the following statement in response to the passage of H.R. 1834, extending temporary, COVID-era Obamacare subsidies: 

"As a physician of 35 years, I have dedicated my life to serving others, primarily those in rural and underserved communities," said Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. "The unfortunate truth is that the Affordable Care Act failed in its promises to lower healthcare costs. Instead, patients have faced skyrocketing premiums that have led to record profits by greedy insurance companies. The failed ACA has had to be bailed out again and again. The Enhanced Premium Tax Credits were supposed to be temporary subsidies that were to last only the length of the COVID-19 pandemic. Extending these insurance company bailouts does nothing to lower the cost of healthcare in America. It is simply a continuation of bad policy and only incentivizes bad behavior by insurers, the most powerful lobby in Washington. We have to commit to reducing the growing cost of care in this country through competition rather than just putting a taxpayer-funded bandaid on a bureaucratic disaster. Greenlighting these ever-growing subsidies cannot continue. House Republicans passed the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans act which will do so by 11% if enacted. The Democrat discharge petition that passed the House of Representatives further burdens America’s broken healthcare system and continues to fail to address the root causes of the high cost of American healthcare."