Statement from SMART General President Michael Coleman on U.S. government shutdown

Following the latest government shutdown, General President Michael Coleman issued the following statement:

“DC politicians are playing politics and risking the livelihood of countless, hard-working American across this country. This newest government shutdown isn’t a game to America’s workers and our families. 

For far too long, the nation has dealt with political chaos and funding cuts.  Political leaders are now turning the chaos up a notch and pushing the country toward a government shutdown to avoid a mounting health care crisis that is on the horizon.

They want to play the blame game, and point fingers on who is causing the chaos, but the reality is that both sides need to work together to address the main issue that led to this latest shutdown. 

It’s very simple: Working people cannot afford the proposed increases to their health care costs. A 114% spike in premiums would hit more than 22 million people just as open enrollment begins on November 1. These cost hikes, combined with earlier cuts to Medicaid, threaten to push millions off coverage while raising expenses for the 179 million Americans who rely on job-based insurance.

If these changes move forward, American families could see their costs rise by as much as $2,000 a year, while hospitals and clinics absorb billions in unpaid care that ultimately drives up premiums for everyone, regardless of how they get their health care coverage. On top of that, letting ACA tax credits expire would wipe out more than 130,000 health care jobs, with total job losses exceeding 600,000 when combined with Medicaid cuts that were passed in this administration’s budget.

At a time when working families are already struggling to pay the bills, we should be working to lower health care costs—not driving them higher.

Both sides need to come together, right now, to stop this dysfunction and get our government operating again for all Americans.”