Wittman refused to extend ACA tax credits for months before flipping his position out of political self-interest and after premiums have already risen for families across Virginia’s 1st Congressional District
HENRICO, VA — Today, Shannon Taylor – Henrico County’s top prosecutor and candidate for Congress in Virginia’s 1st District – highlighted the voices of families across Virginia’s 1st Congressional District who are facing steep increases in health care costs after Congressman Rob Wittman failed to act to protect Affordable Care Act tax credits for months before finally flipping his position out of political self interest and after premiums have already risen for families across Virginia’s 1st district.
Shannon is uplifting voices from Williamsburg to Essex to Lancaster to Warsaw:
“As a small business owner, the Affordable Care Act has allowed me to get the health care I need at a price I can afford. But thanks to Congressman Rob Wittman refusing to extend the ACA tax credits before it was too late, my insurance premiums have just doubled,” said Charlotte Hollings, of Lancaster County. “With the cost of everything already going up, skyrocketing health care costs are the last thing I need. It’s time to make a change in Washington.”
“We’re a family of four on private insurance, and our monthly premium went up by $500 in 2026. We were told the increase was because insurers expect people to fall off the ACA and needed to make up the difference by raising costs on private insurance holders,” said Olivia, of Williamsburg, Virginia. “As a result, we had to downgrade our plan. Now we’re paying about the same as last year, but getting far less coverage.”
“As a pharmacist I see people on a daily basis who leave prescribed medicines at the pharmacy because they can’t afford them. These are medicines that would help control diabetes, asthma and heart disease,” said Janeen, of Essex County, Virginia. “The average cost of a steroid inhaler is upwards of $200. Insulin is the same. People don’t have enough disposable income to manage an ongoing disease state and for them, rising costs are deadly. Literally.”
“I have one patient that is dealing with extreme shortness of breath with risk factors for both severe lung disease and has some signs of heart disease. But this patient has such a high deductible plan while being self employed that they cannot even start the testing,” said Jim, a Physician in Warsaw VA. “The symptoms keep the patient from working. They are trapped.”
Shannon Taylor joined these families in calling out Wittman for putting partisan politics ahead of Virginians’ health and financial security, and for failing to take meaningful action to rein in rising costs before it was too late.
“As a prosecutor, I’ve spent my career holding people accountable when their actions harm others,” said Taylor. “Rob Wittman voted time and time again to let health care costs skyrocket, only flipping his position out of his own political self interest and after premiums have already risen for families across our district. Congressman Wittman’s actions have real consequences for families in our district. Seniors, working parents, and small business owners are paying more — or forgoing coverage entirely — because he refused to do his job until it was far too late. Virginians deserve a representative who will fight to lower health care costs and protect access to care, not one who cynically plays politics and keeps siding with special interests.”
Background
Congressman Rob Wittman has repeatedly voted to unleash a health care crisis on Virginia families.
Wittman cast a decisive vote for the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” which made the largest cuts to Medicaid in history, putting rural hospitals like Rappahannock General in Virginia’s 1st District at risk of closure and shuttering three health clinics across the Commonwealth.
Wittman failed to extend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits despite promising that he would address the issue, and now health care premiums have officially skyrocketed for hundreds of thousands of Virginians.
After nearly two decades in Congress, Wittman’s record on health care is clear: higher costs and less access to care for hardworking Virginians.
About Shannon
Shannon Taylor is a battle-tested prosecutor with 25 years of experience and a 90% conviction rate in homicide cases, taking on the toughest threats to Virginia families and delivering justice. A native of Charlottesville and graduate of the University of Virginia and the University of Richmond Law School, she began her career as a prosecutor in Richmond before serving as a Special Assistant in the U.S. Attorney’s office. In 2011, she flipped the Henrico Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office from Republican to Democrat, becoming the first woman elected to the role. She has since been re-elected three times, proving she knows how to win tough races.
As Commonwealth’s Attorney, Taylor has pioneered programs to support victims of human trafficking, created a task force to tackle the opioid epidemic, and led prosecutors statewide in pledging not to criminalize women or doctors for abortion care. She has worked alongside law enforcement to keep families safe, fought fraud that harms working people, and partnered with gun safety advocates to take illegal guns off the streets.
Shannon Taylor has built her career on protecting Virginians and delivering justice for families regardless of their politics.
For more on Shannon Taylor’s campaign, visit ShannonTaylorVA.com.