NEWS – CONGRESSMAN PETE STARK
239 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-5065
www.stark.house.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, October 18, 2010
Contact: Brian Cook, (202) 225-3202

WASHINGTON - The House Republican pledge unveiled four weeks ago would turn back the clock on health care progress. Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA), Chairman of the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, today criticized the Republican plan to eliminate tax credits that help working families purchase affordable coverage.

"The health reform law provides tax credits that enable people to purchase health coverage in the health insurance exchanges," said Chairman Stark. "The Republican pledge would repeal almost half a trillion dollars in tax credits that will help tens of millions of Americans afford health care."

The health reform law creates health insurance exchanges where people can buy coverage. For individuals and families who make up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level, the law provides tax credits to reduce the amount these families spend on health insurance premiums. For 2010, 400 percent of the federal poverty level for a family of four would be $88,000.

The Republican pledge to repeal would eliminate these tax credits, leaving tens of millions of people without any help to afford coverage.

A report by FamiliesUSA found that nationally, 28.6 million Americans will be eligible for the premium tax credits in 2014. Of these, 95 percent will be in families where someone is employed full- or part-time, and 48 percent will have been previously uninsured. Over half of those eligible work for small businesses with fewer than 100 workers, and almost two-thirds (65.6 percent) are from families with annual incomes at or above 200 percent of the federal poverty level.

For additional information on how the Republican pledge is detrimental to America's health:
Repeal boost to primary care: http://go.usa.gov/a9G
Make it harder to appeal unfair denials by insurers: http://go.usa.gov/aKN
Balloon the deficit: http://go.usa.gov/aZo
Make more Americans face medical bankruptcy: http://go.usa.gov/aju
Repeal free preventive care: http://go.usa.gov/a4j
Reduce Medicare's solvency by 12 years: http://go.usa.gov/a10
Permit discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions: http://go.usa.gov/ach
End reinsurance program for early retirees: http://go.usa.gov/ac2
Shut down healthcare.gov: http://go.usa.gov/al8
Gut programs to fight Medicare fraud, waste, and abuse: http://go.usa.gov/xuT
Increase the uninsured by 29 million: http://go.usa.gov/xMU
Kick people out of new Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plans: http://go.usa.gov/x60
Eliminate the small business tax credit: http://go.usa.gov/xsj
Re-open the Medicare Part D donut hole: http://go.usa.gov/xGe
Repeal investment in health IT: http://go.usa.gov/xGF
More to come...