Dear Health Advocates,

This week, Congressional leadership released the final details of a bipartisan spending package to avoid a partial government shutdown on January 30. The deal boosts defense funding and funds the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Education, and Homeland Security — albeit with funding cuts to some. Notably missing from the proposal is an extension of the enhanced premium tax credits. Senate leadership still has not set a date to vote on the three-year extension the House passed two weeks ago. There are ongoing bipartisan negotiations as senators try to come to an agreement on a solution to extend the tax credits.

2026 is here and ACA Marketplace Open Enrollment has closed without an extension of the enhanced tax credits. Millions of Americans will now see their premiums rise, and many Americans will choose to forego coverage because of these increases once they receive their bills. Congress needs to take action and ensure this does not continue in future Open Enrollments. We must demand from Congress that they extend the enhanced premium tax credits NOW.

You can find resources and ways to take action, including direct links to message Congress and share your story, on our Lower Health Care Costs Now campaign page.

DEADLINE TODAY! Sign On Opportunity: Urge Congress to Pass Pro-Consumer Reforms to Lower Health Care Costs, Families USA.
- As we approach January 30 and a potential opportunity to advance a health extenders package, please join us in sending this letter to Congress urging it to pass pro-consumer reforms that will lower healthcare costs now and provide relief to families. You can read the letter here. To sign on in support, please fill out this form by EOD today, Tuesday, January 20.
Email Writing Campaign: Tell you members to pass an extension of the ACA premium tax credits and make health insurance more affordable for tens of millions of people! Coalition on Human Needs.

NEW! Insights Column: Medicaid State Directed Payment for Primary Care and Behavioral Health Providers: Opportunities that Remain and Challenges Ahead, Families USA.
NEW! Policy Agenda: Making Health Care Affordable: Reining In Health Industry Abuses To Lower People’s Costs and Generate Budget Savings, Families USA.
NEW! Press Release: As Open Enrollment for Health Coverage Ends, Congress Fails to Stop the Spike in Premiums for Millions of Americans, Families USA.
NEW! Report: Administration’s Radical Personnel Cuts Bypassed Congress and Lacked Transparency, Obscuring Impact on Public Services, CBPP.
NEW! Toolkit: Mitigating the Harms of Medicaid Work Requirements for Older Adults: Tools for State Advocates, Justice in Aging.
NEW! Summary: Case Explainer: Chianne D. v. Harris, NHeLP.
NEW! Press Release: New Report Finds Nonprofit Hospitals’ Billing Practices Burden Patients Despite Significant Tax Benefits Says, Families USA.

THIS WEEK! Families USA's 2026 Health Action Conference
- The 2026 Families USA Health Action Conference is this week and we want to be sure you can purchase your tickets before they sell out. That's right, we have a hard cap for registrants that we'll undoubtedly hit before the conference starts on Thursday, and we want you to buy tickets before they're gone for good! We'll be bringing together policymakers, movement leaders, and health justice advocates from across the country to engage on the most pressing health care issues we're facing right now. You can find our full agenda here.
NEXT WEEK! Webinar - Healthcare in Peril: Preparing and Protecting Our Communities from ACA & Medicaid Cuts
- Please join this timely webinar hosted by a coalition of health care advocates, civil rights leaders, and community leaders to learn how you can prepare our communities through information and action. The Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, NAACP, the National Council of Negro Women, the National Urban League, the Southern Poverty Law Center, UnidosUS, the Coalition on Human Needs, Community Catalyst, Families USA, the National Health Law Program, and Protect Our Care have come together to cosponsor the event. As healthcare premiums price working people out of coverage and new work requirements, slashes in funding, and tightening restrictions threaten those who are most vulnerable among us, now is the time to organize, strategize, and fight back. Register here.
UPCOMING! Webinar: Implementing New Medicaid Work Requirements: Strategies to Mitigate Harm in Your State
- Please join Justice in Aging for a webinar on February 5 that will include a breakdown of H.R. 1's key provisions and clarify who the work requirements within the bill apply to. Presenters will discuss how exemptions & other protections should be implemented to prevent coverage loss & administrative burden, particularly among older adults & caregivers. Advocates will gain strategies & tools to use in the implementation & policy-setting stage to help ensure states comply with the law & adopt as many optional protections as possible. Register here.
Advocates Meeting: Wednesday Advocates Meeting Zoom call, Coalition on Human Needs hosting every Wednesday at 9:30 AM ET.
Shared Advocacy Calendar: Coalition on Human Needs. Check out weeks of action and upcoming events