Rep. Tim Ryan criticizes the Republican-led House for not extending a credit to help Delphi salaried retirees with health insurance

Staff report

WASHINGTON, D.C.

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan is “condemning” the Republican-led House of Representatives for not extending the Health Coverage Tax Credit that would specifically help Delphi salaried retirees struggling to maintain affordable health care.

Along with U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, a Republican from the Dayton area, Ryan, of Howland, D-13th, urged congressional leaders to extend the tax credit, which expires Jan. 1, for two years.

The tax credit helps Delphi salaried retirees — there are about 20,000 with 1,500 in the Mahoning Valley area — with health care costs.

Their pensions and their health and life insurance benefits were terminated during the federal government’s 2009 rescue of General Motors. The retirees are receiving 30 percent to 70 percent of their pensions through the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp.

“I cannot understand why House Republicans, with the support of Republican House Speaker John Boehner, have chosen to throw 20,000 Delphi salaried retirees” and others “under the bus while at the same time extending tax breaks for large corporations,” Ryan said.

The tax credits are for retirees who lost their health care coverage when companies for which they worked entered bankruptcy or moved overseas.

HCTC isn’t dead in the Senate with U.S. Sens. Rob Portman, a Republican from the Cincinnati area, and Sherrod Brown, a Democrat from Cleveland, supporting it.