Rep. Bishop: End shutdown, save health credits

U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, Democrat of Georgia, used a Friday stop in Macon to call for an end to the federal government shutdown and to urge congressional Republicans to immediately extend tax credits offered through the Affordable Care Act.

The congressman, appearing at the Buck Melton Community Center in the afternoon hours, was flanked by Macon-Bibb County commissioners Stanley Stewart and Elaine Lucas as he spoke to a handful of Maconites.

Bishop — who is the longest-serving member of the Georgia congressional delegation and has since 1993 represented the state’s mostly-rural Second Congressional District, which includes Macon — said Georgians could see their premiums double without the health care premium credits offered under the terms of the landmark 2010 federal legislation.

If the tax credits expire, small businesses won’t be able to cover premiums for their  employees, and the state’s hospitals will see greater numbers of people unable to afford care, he added.

“If the Republicans in Congress rip away the tax credits, its negative impact will cascade throughout our health care system and throughout our economy,” he said.

The federal government shutdown started Oct. 1 and resulted from partisan battles over health insurance subsidies and other items, including foreign aid and overall government spending.

More than 900,000 federal workers have been furloughed as a result of the shutdown, which has affected local activities, including accessibility at Ocmulgee Mounds National Historic Park in Macon and some operations at Robins Air Force Base in nearby Warner Robins.

Bishop said congressional Democrats are using “all of the tools” at their disposal to reopen the government and undo cuts made by the Donald Trump presidential administration, including Medicaid coverage losses for millions of Americans.

The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” supported by Trump and passed by the Republican-controlled Congress in July, provided for a 12% cut in spending for the program, which provides health insurance to those with limited income.

Bishop said Congress needs to come together and figure out a solution to the shutdown before Nov. 1, the day Affordable Care Act-mandated health insurance marketplaces open across the country.

“This is a critical, primary issue that needs to be dealt with now — not next month or two or three months from now,” Bishop said.

Bryan Scott, who runs Scott’s Pharmacy on Pio Nono Avenue, spoke at the event. He said people coming to his pharmacy worry about the affordability of their medication.

“We really need to try to figure out how we can fix these gaps in coverage, how we can make it more affordable,” Scott told attendees.