The US Senate is set to vote later today on whether to extend subsidies for Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act. If Congress doesn’t pass funding by the end of this year, premiums will increase dramatically for many beginning in January.
The Democratic National Committee is launching a digital ad campaign today in the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Medina Gazette, calling it the “digital homepage takeover.” It urges readers to contact Ohio’s Republican U.S. Sens. Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted to urge them to vote for an extension of the ACA subsidies.
But the focus is on Husted, who will be on the ballot against former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown next November.
“As many as half a million Ohioans who rely on these credits to be able to afford their insurance will lose access or will have to start making choices between putting food on the table or having health care,” said DNC National Policy Director Shelby Wiltz in an interview. “Nobody should have to make those choices.”
Husted has proposed his own plan for extending ACA subsidies for two years. It also calls for reforms to the ACA.
“This would extend enhanced premium credits for two years, but with reforms that will reduce fraud, lower premiums and protect the long-standing conscience rights for millions of Americans," Husted said in a written statement.
Husted's plan didn't have enough support to make it on to the floor.
Brown has supported the ACA in the past. As part of his campaign, he’s been holding roundtables with people who receive subsidies and are concerned they could lose health insurance.
The DNC said these ads are just the beginning, in a race that’s expected to bring in millions of dollars from the candidates as well as from outside groups. The contest between an incumbent senator and a former senator is predicted to be one of the highest profile in the country.
