The National Women's Law Center (NWLC) is leading nearly 130 organizations in urging Congress to swiftly pass a clean extension of the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits (ePTCs) without anti-abortion restrictions.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, enacted in 2010, aimed to expand access to affordable health insurance, improve the quality of care, and protect people with pre-existing conditions.

Therefore, the NWLC warned that under this law, people would not only be unable to purchase plans through the Health Insurance Marketplace, but allowing ePTCs to expire at the end of the month would have devastating consequences for women and their families.

The letter estimates that, without an extension, more than half of those who would lose their coverage would be women, and nearly 74% would be people of color.

“These premium increases will undoubtedly exacerbate existing barriers to affordable health coverage for women, particularly women of color, and low- and middle-income individuals,” the signatories wrote in their letter to congressional leaders.

“Millions of people will be excluded from health coverage and They will be at greater risk of losing their insurance, negating the enormous progress made in reducing uninsuredness since the enactment of the enhanced PTCs in 2021,” they continued. The coalition also made it clear that any attempt to use this mandated extension as a vehicle for anti-abortion clauses is unacceptable. “As Congress negotiates an extension of the enhanced PTCs, we urge them to reject any further attempts to restrict abortion coverage. Any such attempt would ultimately amount to…”“This is a thinly veiled attempt to derail negotiations on these essential tax credits… Any attempt to further restrict abortion care coverage in Affordable Care Act (ACA) Health Insurance Marketplace plans will deny people the freedom to make the best choices for their bodies, their lives, and their future,” she stated.