{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://neguse.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-neguse-shares-story-colorado-small-business-owner-facing-300-health-care", "Rep. Neguse Shares Story of Colorado Small Business Owner Facing 300% Health Care Premium Hike", "2025-10-17", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "House", "CO", "Joe Neguse", "N000191", "neguse.house.gov", "neguse", "https://neguse.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Image\n\nOctober 17, 2025\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s immoral. Plain and simple.\u201d\n\nLafayette, CO \u2014 In case you missed it, during House Democrat\u2019s Steering and Policy Committee Meeting on Health Care Cost Increases, Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse underscored the devastating impacts of the Republican-manufactured healthcare crisis by sharing the story of a small business owner in Gunbarrel named Leslie.\n\nRight now, Leslie and her husband pay around $600 per month for health care through the small business exchange. But, if Republicans allow Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits to lapse, their insurance provider notified them that they should expect monthly premiums for 2026 to increase to approximately $1,900 \u2014 three times the current rate.\n\n\u201cRepublicans in Washington are pushing health care out of reach for Americans across the country, and sadly folks right here in Colorado are not exempt. Leslie and her husband are just one story out of the many small business owners and families in our state whose monthly bills are set to double \u2014 or even triple \u2014 unless Congress acts. It shocks the conscience that our neighbors \u2014 including those battling cancer, facing serious health challenges, and otherwise \u2014 will no longer be able to afford what could be lifesaving care. This isn\u2019t politics. This is life and death. And I would implore my colleagues across the aisle to get serious about working with Democrats to address the healthcare crisis they created,\u201d said Congressman Joe Neguse.\n\nWatch Rep. Neguse\u2019s full remarks in the Steering and Policy Committee Meeting HERE.\n\nView a video clip regarding Leslie\u2019s story HERE.\n\nHow Did We Get Here?\n\nIn July 2025, Congressional Republicans, under the direction of the Trump administration, enacted the Big Ugly Law, triggering $536 billion in Medicare cuts and stripping support for rural hospitals like those located throughout Colorado\u2019s Western Slope communities. Now, rather than working with Democrats to address the health care crisis they created and ensure an extension for ACA tax credits small businesses and families rely on, Republicans have shut down the federal government with Speaker Mike Johnson refusing to even call the House back into session.\n\n###\n\nIssues: Local Issues", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://neguse.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-neguse-shares-story-colorado-small-business-owner-facing-300-health-care"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6123871318995953, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}