Dr. Thomas Sherman delivers his remarks during a press conference on March 23, marking the 16th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act. Cabinet photo by CHRISTOPHER ROBERSON

CONCORD – Sixteen years after being signed into law by then-President Barack Obama, the Affordable Care Act continues to be under threat by the GOP.

In New Hampshire, Republican U.S. Senate candidates Scott Brown and John Sununu have both vowed to support eliminating the legislation.

“The ACA has made healthcare more affordable and accessible for tens of thousands of Granite Staters, yet Scott Brown and John Sununu have both openly supported repealing this landmark legislation that has saved lives,” said Deputy House Democratic Leader Laura Telerski (D-Nashua) during a press conference on March 23.

She also said insurance premiums have soared after Republicans allowed the ACA tax credits to expire.

“I’ve heard from constituents who call these tax credits essential to their ability to get health care, but John Sununu says extending these credits is ‘totally unnecessary.'” said Telerski. “This is the same John Sununu who not only voted to cut Medicare 13 times, but also voted against allowing Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices for seniors.”

Deputy House Democratic Leader Laura Telerski (D-Nashua) delivers her remarks during a press conference on March 23, marking the 16th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act. Cabinet photo by CHRISTOPHER ROBERSON

Should the ACA be repealed, Sununu has proposed a plan that would allow insurance companies to deny coverage for anyone with pre-existing health conditions.

“When Granite Staters told him they were concerned about rising health care costs, he told them to ‘stop complaining about healthcare,'” said Telerski.

Turning her attention to Brown, Telerski also said the former Massachusetts senator has opposed the ACA since its inception.

“He ran for Senate promising to prevent the ACA’s passage and bragged about voting multiple times to repeal it,” she said.

Telerski said both Brown and Sununu are staunch supporters of H.R. 1, commonly known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law on July 4, 2025. The legislation is expected to make several drastic cuts to Medicaid totaling $880 billion by 2034. In Nashua alone, there are 16,778 residents who rely on Medicaid, many of whom are children.

“New Hampshire Republicans refuse to address the looming health care crisis we know is on the horizon,” said Telerski. “These days, Granite Staters are shelling out more on everything from gas to groceries. We are paying more for premiums and have higher deductibles, nevermind having difficulty finding providers, it’s simply unconscionable.”

Dr. Thomas Sherman, who served as both a state representative and a state senator, has been practicing medicine for 39 years and has witnessed the impact that the ACA has had on his patients. According to healthinsurance.org, as of June 2025, 60,900 New Hampshire residents are able to afford health insurance under the ACA’s Medicaid Expansion program.

“I have seen firsthand that having healthcare you need is more than just keeping you healthy; it impacts every aspect of your life – your family, your home, your ability to keep your job, your finances,” he said.

Sherman said that since the ACA became law in 2010, it has been instrumental in fighting the opioid crisis and covering expenses for mental health patients.

“The choice we make this November about who should represent us in Washington will have real consequences for our friends and neighbors,” he said.

Sherman said Sununu had a record of putting Big Pharma ahead of New Hampshire during his six years in the U.S. Senate.

“Then when Granite Staters voted him out, he chose to cozy up to those same corporate special interests, including one of their lobbying firms that pulled in more than $10 million,” said Sherman. “Now he and Scott Brown are running to help Donald Trump enact his dangerous agenda that’s already driving up costs and cutting vital programs just to hand out more tax breaks to the super rich.”

Sherman also said the Brown and Sununu campaigns fall right in line with the New Hampshire GOP.

“Scott Brown called the benefits to our families and hard-working folks provided by the ACA a ‘mess,'” he said. “John Sununu said it would be “fundamentally wrong” to make the ACA tax credits permanent. As a doc, I know that adequate health coverage actually saves lives. Sununu and Brown would sacrifice that life-saving health coverage, making it too expensive for so many hard-working residents. That’s why we need to elect a Democratic senator who will stand up for Granite Staters and fight to keep health care affordable.”