"The change affects a diverse cross-section of Americans who don't get their health insurance from an employer and don't qualify for Medicaid or Medicare a group that includes many self-employed workers, small business owners, farmers and ranchers. It comes at the start of a high-stakes midterm election year, with affordability including the cost of health care topping the list of voters' concerns."
"The expired subsidies were first given to Affordable Care Act enrollees in 2021 as a temporary measure to help Americans get through the COVID-19 pandemic. Democrats in power at the time extended them, moving the expiration date to the start of 2026. With the expanded subsidies, some lower-income enrollees received health care with no premiums, and high earners paid no more than 8.5% of their income."
Enhanced premium tax credits for Affordable Care Act enrollees expired overnight, increasing health insurance costs for millions beginning the new year. Lawmakers clashed over the subsidies, producing a 43-day government shutdown and unsuccessful efforts to extend them before expiration. President Donald Trump proposed a solution then retreated after conservative backlash. The loss of subsidies affects people who buy marketplace coverage, including self-employed workers, small business owners, farmers and many middle-income families facing sharply higher premiums. Some households face doubled or tripled insurance costs. A House vote in January could attempt to restore subsidies, but passage is uncertain.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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