U.S. Representative Brendan Boyle took part in a virtual press conference on Thursday calling for Senate action to make health care more affordable.

Boyle joined For Our Future PA, Protect Our Care Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Health Access Network and Family Friendly Pennsylvania on the Zoom call. Two people, one from Bucks County and the other from Allentown, also raised concerns about health care costs. Representative Susan Wild was supposed to be part of the press conference, but was not.

Protect Our Care reports that premium tax credits included in the US bailout reduced the cost of health care coverage for nearly 375,000 Pennsylvanians.

On June 28, 14 Democratic governors across the country, including Governor Tom Wolf, sent a letter to congressional leaders urging them to extend enhanced premium tax credits that are set to expire at the end of this year. Democrats are hoping for an extension, as people will sign up for 2023 coverage in early November, just as voters head to the polls for the midterm elections.

Boyle fears eligible Pennsylvanians will experience a “dramatic increase in their premiums” without an extension.

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is reportedly negotiating with West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin a deal to cut prescription drug costs by allowing Medicare to negotiate the price. prescription drugs with pharmaceutical companies, to cap drugs payable by the elderly. costs and penalize companies that increase prescriptions faster than inflation.

“It’s time for the Senate to act now,” Boyle said.

In response to a question from For Our Future PA director Ashley McBride, Boyle said he spoke to constituents about high prescription drug costs.

“It really affects almost every neighborhood in my congressional district,” he said.

As for the premium tax credits, Antoinette Kraus, executive director of the Pennsylvania Health Access Network, said they helped cut costs by 9% and lowered the uninsured rate in Pennsylvania to 5.4%.

Kraus said costs would rise by an average of $1,000, or 11%, per person per year for the roughly 375,000 Pennsylvanians who benefited from the premium tax credits, if the credits are not extended.

Kraus is hoping for a vote before a month-long hiatus from Congress starting in August. In the meantime, she urged people to contact Senator Pat Toomey to tell him to support provisions to prevent health care costs from continuing to rise.

For Our Future Pennsylvania provided statistics showing that without an extension, monthly premiums would rise to pre-US bailout levels. A 45-year-old Pennsylvanian earning $60,000 could see a monthly premium increase of $89. A 60-year-old Pennsylvania couple with a household income of $75,000 could see a monthly premium increase of $1,402. A family of four in Pennsylvania with a household income of $120,000 could see a monthly premium increase of $605.

In addition, about 39,000 Pennsylvanians will lose health coverage and become uninsured if Congress does not expand premium tax credits. ••