Knox County Democrats on the Government Shutdown and Healthcare Crisis

What's Happening

The federal government is shut down. Republicans control Congress but need Democratic votes to reopen. Talks have broken down over healthcare. Democrats won't support a spending bill that ignores the health insurance crisis facing millions of Americans.

Why Democrats Are Fighting

Democrats want to keep the tax credits that help people afford health insurance. These credits have made insurance cheaper for four years but expire at the end of this year. Without them, insurance costs will jump 114% for nearly everyone.

This means the 642,000 Tennessee's enrolled in Affordable Care Insurance could see their monthly premiums more than double, potentially forcing many families to drop coverage due to unaffordable costs.

What Republicans Are Saying

House Speaker Mike Johnson says the healthcare debate can wait until December 31st. Republicans want a "clean" spending bill without addressing healthcare.

But insurance companies, including private, need answers now to set 2026 prices. Tennessee insurers are already planning 35% price increases, some as high as 41%.

Instead of working to find a solution to keep the Government open, President Trump is threatening Americans jobs by stating he’ll use a shutdown to fire federal workers, and using AI videos of Democratic leaders to spread lies about what this fight is about.

How This Hurts Tennessee

People Losing Coverage:

Experts predict 4 million Americans could lose coverage in the first year,  meaning up to 600,000 Tennesseans on marketplace healthcare could lose their insurance completely.

Skyrocketing Costs:

• A single parent making $50,000 will see premiums nearly double, from $157 to $344.

• A family of four making $70,000 jumps from $173 to $436.

• A 64-year-old couple making $90,000 goes from $637 to a staggering $3,482 a month.

Rural Hospitals in Crisis
When people lose insurance, they still get sick and need medical care. But they can't pay for it. This creates what's called "uncompensated care", when hospitals treat people but don't get paid.

• Tennessee hospitals would face $378 million more in unpaid bills

• Rural hospitals across Tennessee will be forced to close, leaving entire communities without healthcare

Republicans Choose Politics Over People

These aren't "illegals" – these are our neighbors. The family living on your street, your retired parents, the single mother at your church.

But, instead of working together to protect Tennesseans' healthcare, Senate Republicans are willing to shut down the government, shutting important programs that help struggling families like SNAP (food stamps), WIC (nutrition help for mothers and babies), and Head Start programs, and even threatening to fire federal workers. 

Republicans refuse to discuss extending the subsidies that make health insurance affordable for hundreds of thousands of Tennessee families. Democrats are fighting for your access to healthcare treatment and coverage.

What You Can Do

Call our senators and tell them to:

• Put politics aside and work across the aisle to keep the government funded

• Extend ACA subsidies to keep insurance affordable

• Protect rural hospitals from closing

Senator Marsha Blackburn
(202) 224-3344 | blackburn.senate.gov/email-me

Senator Bill Hagerty
(202) 224-4944 | hagerty.senate.gov/contact

Tennessee families can't afford to wait while politicians play games with their healthcare. This fight is about whether working Tennesseans can afford to see a doctor, whether rural hospitals can stay open, and whether families will have to choose between health insurance and food.