Policy experts are calling on Congress to not only extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits but to address the broader issue of rapidly rising health care costs threatening to crush hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans.
People across the country are already feeling economically strapped.
Angela Hanks, chief of policy programs for the Century Foundation, said many are now faced with a worsening health care affordability crisis caused by deliberate policy choices in Congress. Legislation passed over the summer would result in up to 15 million people losing Medicaid or health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, with enhanced tax credits set to expire at the end of the year.
"We've put that as an average enrollee paying over $1,000 more next year for their health care if Congress takes no action this year," Hanks reported.
An analysis from the Foundation showed rural counties will be disproportionately affected, with enrollees potentially facing a 28% higher cost increase than those in urban areas. Counties with higher cancer rates will also see greater premium increases. Illinois saw a record 17% jump in enrollment this year of more than 460,000.
Insurance companies have already reported their rates for the next year, projecting an average 18% increase in premiums for plans across the board, the largest increase in more than five years. It means enrollees face both rising premiums and the potential loss of tax credits, which help make insurance affordable.
"There are many ways that Congress could have dealt with this," Hanks contended. "Starting with not making the cuts to Medicaid, extending the enhanced premium tax credits over the summer. And now we're in a bit of a mess when it comes to health care because of the set of decisions that happened to get us to this point."
Hanks stressed health care affordability is not a partisan issue, noting more than three-quarters of Americans want to see the tax credits continue, including two-thirds of Republicans.
This story was originally published by Illinois News Connection, part of the Public News Service.
