Thirty-six nonprofit patient advocacy organizations have issued a joint statement urging Congress to act quickly on the expiration of enhanced advance premium tax credits (APTCs). The groups warn that millions of Americans shopping for 2026 health coverage are facing steep increases in their insurance premiums, making coverage unaffordable for many.
“Across the country, patients and families are opening their renewal notices and discovering that their monthly premiums have doubled or even tripled. For many, the choice is stark: either go without coverage or pay more than they can afford. These are not abstract numbers—they represent life-altering consequences for small business owners, early retirees and people living with serious or chronic illnesses who depend on access to consistent, high-quality care.
“For patients with chronic conditions, being able to afford treatment is non-negotiable—but without comprehensive insurance options, patients lose that fight before it begins. Other types of insurance may appear cheaper – but almost without exception, they exclude essential services and health benefits, offer discriminatory plan design, and leave patients exposed to crushing medical bills when they need care most. It is clear to patients with cancer, diabetes, [and others], that plans that take shortcuts are no solution at all.
“Every day of inaction means more patients priced out of high-quality coverage and more families forced to make impossible choices between health care and other necessities. The only viable path forward is a straightforward, immediate reauthorization of the enhanced APTCs so that patients and consumers can enroll in affordable coverage now that meets their healthcare needs effective January 1.
“Ensuring access to affordable, high-quality health coverage is a nonpartisan issue that affects every community in America. Our organizations have repeatedly called on Congress to protect patients, families and the integrity of the health insurance marketplace by supporting a permanent reauthorization of these critical tax credits. Today, we call on Congress to swiftly advance the House proposal for a clean, three-year extension of the enhanced APTCs until a permanent solution can be secured. The cost of delay is measured in lives and livelihoods—Congress cannot allow that to continue.”
The statement was signed by organizations representing individuals with various chronic illnesses including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, hemophilia, cystic fibrosis and mental illness. Among those signing were AiArthritis; American Diabetes Association; American Heart Association; American Kidney Fund; American Lung Association; Arthritis Foundation; Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America; Blood Cancer United (formerly The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society); Cancer Nation; CancerCare; Coalition for Hemophilia B; Crohn's & Colitis Foundation; Cystic Fibrosis Foundation; Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition; Epilepsy Foundation of America; Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research; Hemophilia Federation of America; Immune Deficiency Foundation; Legal Action Center; Lupus Foundation of America; Lutheran Services in America; March of Dimes; Muscular Dystrophy Association; National Alliance on Mental Illness; National Bleeding Disorders Foundation; National Health Council; National Kidney Foundation; National Multiple Sclerosis Society ;National Patient Advocate Foundation ;National Psoriasis Foundation ;Pulmonary Hypertension Association ;Sickle Cell Disease Association of America Inc.; Susan G. Komen ;The AIDS Institute ;WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease ;and ZERO Prostate Cancer.
The organizations argue that if Congress does not act soon to extend or make permanent these tax credits—which help lower- and middle-income Americans afford private health insurance—many people will lose access to necessary medical care due to cost barriers.
