Physicians and Democrats stood outside of congressional offices in Davenport on Tuesday urging Iowa’s U.S. representatives and senators to extend health care tax credits and reverse their support for changes to Medicaid.
The federal government shut down began Oct. 1 because of an impasse between Democrats and Republicans in Congress over a short-term spending bill. Democrats want Republicans to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies first expanded during the pandemic that reduce health insurance costs for people covered by the marketplace and to reverse changes to Medicaid that were a part of the One Big Beautiful Bill.
Republicans say Democrats are holding the government hostage and that they should agree to pass a clean bill to fund the government and then negotiate on expiring health care subsidies.
Progressive groups are trying to put pressure on Republicans in more competitive districts, such as southeast Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, represented by U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks’ 1st Congressional District.
In downtown Davenport on Tuesday, Sue Dinsdale pointed to the expected rise in insurance premiums. The Iowa Insurance Division has posted on its website that premiums for marketplace-purchased health care carriers have filed for rate increases ranging from 12.6% to more than 25%.
Dinsdale warned that tens of thousands of Iowans could be priced out of their premiums and opt to go without health care if the subsidies are not extended.
Eastern Iowa protestors push for expanding ACA tax credits
