On
Thursday,
a
coalition
of
28
healthcare
organizations
sent
a
letter
to
leaders
in
Congress
calling
on
them
to
extend
the
Affordable
Care
Act
enhanced
premium
tax
credits,
which
are
set
to
expire
at
the
end
of
the
year.
The
letter
was
addressed
to
John
Thune,
Senate
majority
leader;
Chuck
Schumer,
Senate
minority
leader;
Mike
Johnson,
speaker
of
the
House;
and
Hakeem
Jeffries,
minority
leader
of
the
House.
The
letter
was
led
by
Keep
Americans
Covered
and
was
signed
by
healthcare
organizations
including
AHIP,
Blue
Cross
Blue
Shield
Association,
the
American
Medical
Association,
Kaiser
Permanente,
Families
USA
and
more.
The
enhanced
premium
tax
credits
were
introduced
in
2020
as
part
of
the
American
Rescue
Plan
Act
to
support
people
during
the
Covid-19
pandemic.
They
lowered
monthly
premiums
for
people
who
buy
coverage
on
the
state
and
federal
Marketplaces.
In
2022,
Congress
extended
the
enhanced
tax
credits
through
2025
through
the
Inflation
Reduction
Act.
If
Congress
now
allows
the
enhanced
tax
credits
to
expire
at
the
end
of
the
year,
“the
cost
of
health
insurance
will
explode,
with
typical
American
families
forced
to
pay
hundreds
or
thousands
of
dollars
more
each
month
to
keep
the
coverage
they
have,”
the
organizations
wrote.
“Expiration
of
the
tax
credit
will
create
a
cost-of-living
crisis
for
millions
of
American
families
in
2026.”
They
added
that
if
the
tax
credits
expire,
a
family
of
four
making
$64,000
would
experience
a
$2,600
increase
in
their
healthcare
premiums.
A
60-year-old
couple
making
$80,000
would
face
a
$17,500
increase
in
premiums.
“This
is
an
urgent
issue
that
affects
both
the
cost
of
living
and
patient
health,
and
it
requires
immediate
action.
Open
enrollment
for
next
year’s
coverage
begins
November
1—100
days
away,”
the
coalition
stated.
“By
October,
millions
of
Americans
will
be
‘window
shopping’
and
see
the
full
extent
of
these
soaring
premiums
for
2026.
And
already,
many
of
the
24
million
people
enrolled
in
the
individual
market
are
receiving
letters
informing
them
that
to
maintain
their
coverage
they
will
need
to
find
hundreds
or
thousands
of
dollars
in
already
stretched
family
budgets.”
They
added
that
the
crisis
“can
be
avoided”
and
urged
Congress
to
include
an
extension
of
the
enhanced
tax
credit
in
the
“next
bill
that
Congress
sends
to
the
president
for
his
signature.”
This
letter
follows
a
recent
analysis
published
by
KFF
and
the
Peterson
Center
on
Healthcare,
which
found
that
ACA
Marketplace
insurers
are
proposing
the
largest
premium
hikes
since
2018,
with
a
median
15%
increase
projected
for
2026.
This
is
partially
driven
by
the
expiration
of
the
enhanced
premium
tax
credits,
as
well
as
tariffs
on
drugs
and
medical
equipment,
the
analysis
noted.
Photo:
YinYang,
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