The Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits are set to end January 1, despite months of back and forth between congressional democrats and republicans.
Without an extension, health care premiums will increase, sometimes doubling or worse.
Sen. Vaneta Becker (R-Dist 50) was asked about what the Republicans at the U-S level were doing about a possible healthcare crisis.
“The only thing they're talking about now is health savings accounts,” she said. “And that is not the answer, because people have to have money to put into those health savings accounts. And so I don't know where this is going to end, but it's not good.”
She thinks this could come back on President Trump.
“When they (constituents) see the amount of their health care and their insurance going up at the end of this year. I think he's going to be tarred and feathered.”
Hear the full interview below
Becker also gave some details of the recent redistricting vote, and talked about the pressure from President Trump and Governor Braun.
She said it started with robocalls to her and her colleagues.
“We had a call from the White House, from Donald Trump, and at the end of that call … he asked us to press one for ‘yes’ and two for ‘no.’ And so those of us who were against redistricting, we pressed ‘no,’ and he then kept on putting pressure on people, and it just went on and on.”
Of course the vote to redistrict failed with robust support from Senate Republicans which led to threats of “primarying” those dissenting republicans. This is the practice of supporting non-incumbent candidates in the district to oust those GOP members who voted against redistricting.
“It's kind of silly to say, ‘I'm going to primary you because you did the will of the people.’ That doesn't make a whole lot of sense.”
Becker isn’t worried about being primaried — she doesn’t need to run for another three years. She wasn’t the victim of harassment either, like some senators have been.
The Shively & Shoulders episode can be seen here
