{"id":1593,"date":"2025-10-15T19:54:37","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T19:54:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/?p=1593"},"modified":"2025-10-15T19:58:53","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T19:58:53","slug":"health-coverage-crisis-deepens-4-million-americans-set-to-lose-insurance-as-tax-credits-end","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/american-community-media\/health-coverage-crisis-deepens-4-million-americans-set-to-lose-insurance-as-tax-credits-end\/","title":{"rendered":"Health Coverage Crisis Deepens: 4 Million Americans Set to Lose Insurance as Tax Credits End"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The expiration of Affordable Care Act tax credits will leave nearly four million people without coverage. Rising premiums threaten to deepen the nation\u2019s health and economic crisis.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The social health crisis in the United States seems like a story with no end. The expiration of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits threatens to leave millions without coverage \u2014 just as the federal government shutdown enters its tenth day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This month, millions of Americans will face an unpleasant surprise as they discover that their monthly premiums have nearly doubled. With enhanced tax credits set to expire at the end of the year, around four million people will immediately lose their health insurance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a briefing \u201cAs Shutdown Drags On, Is a Compromise Over Health Care Costs Possible?\u201d, held by American Community Media<\/a>, health experts and policy leaders discussed the crisis and possible solutions to yet another challenge testing the stability of the U.S. health system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rising Premiums and Political Choices<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anthony Wright, Executive Director of Families USA, warned that \u201cbetween 22 and 24 million people will see their premiums increase, and around four million will lose their health insurance immediately.\u201d He emphasized that the elimination of tax credits represents \u201ca political decision, not an economic necessity,\u201d since both Congress and the current administration \u201cchose to extend benefits to corporations while rejecting measures to protect low- and middle-income citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wright explained that premiums will rise by an average of 18%, but the real impact on consumers \u2014 without subsidies \u2014 will amount to \u201ca doubling or even tripling of monthly costs.\u201d He gave a concrete example: \u201cIn Maine, a 60-year-old earning $65,000 will see their monthly payment jump from $460 to $1,400.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also warned that the end of tax credits will disproportionately affect rural communities, where medical costs are higher and local hospitals rely heavily on insured patients. \u201cFewer insured patients mean more uncompensated care and an increased risk of closure for rural clinics and hospitals,\u201d Wright said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Losing $0 Premiums and the Impact on Vulnerable Groups<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jennifer Sullivan, Director of Health Coverage Access and lead for the Beyond the Basics project at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), discussed the consequences of eliminating $0-premium plans for low-income populations in the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sullivan noted that \u201c93% of people enrolled in the marketplace receive tax credits to reduce the cost of their insurance,\u201d a figure that reveals just how dependent millions of households are on these subsidies. She added that \u201c90% of enrollees have incomes below four times the federal poverty level, and nearly half live on less than twice that threshold \u2014 about $32,000 a year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Sullivan, the end of $0 premiums will hit hardest among self-employed workers, small business owners, young adults just out of college, and people over 55 who don\u2019t yet qualify for Medicare. She also warned that \u201cmore than half of marketplace enrollees are people of color,\u201d meaning the loss of subsidies would undo progress made since 2021: \u201cWe saw a 186% increase in coverage among Black Americans and a 158% increase among Latinos. Losing those gains would be devastating.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sullivan also addressed the situation of immigrants, reminding the audience that undocumented people \u201cdeserve health coverage but remain excluded from the system,\u201d while recent policy changes have further limited access for those legally residing in the country. \u201cThe biggest risk now is the fear effect \u2014 people who are eligible but afraid to sign up,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On $0-premium plans, she was emphatic: \u201cIf someone can\u2019t pay even a single dollar, it\u2019s not a lack of commitment \u2014 it\u2019s survival. Eliminating $0 premiums would leave around 400,000 people uninsured.\u201d She stressed that this benefit has been crucial, especially in states that didn\u2019t expand Medicaid, where marketplace coverage is the only option for those earning between 100% and 138% of the poverty level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sullivan called the situation \u201curgent and avoidable,\u201d adding that \u201cinsurers are already posting 2025 prices in six states, and the increases are so steep that many will drop out before December.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Public Awareness and Bipartisan Support<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The final presentation came from Dr. Ashley Kirzinger, Associate Director of the Public Opinion and Survey Research Program at KFF, who shared findings from a national survey on public perception of rising health care costs and the looming expiration of ACA tax credits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kirzinger warned that the cost of medical services and unexpected bills now rank as the top financial concern among American families \u2014 even above housing, utilities, and food. \u201cNearly half of adults say it\u2019s difficult to afford medical care, and one in four has struggled to pay for it in the past year \u2014 even with tax credits still in place,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The researcher also highlighted the public\u2019s limited awareness of the issue: \u201cOnly four in ten people have heard anything about the expiration of the credits, and six in ten \u2014 including those who buy coverage through the ACA marketplace \u2014 don\u2019t know they\u2019re about to lose that benefit.\u201d This means millions will face price hikes without warning, just as open enrollment begins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, Kirzinger underscored a striking finding: broad bipartisan support for extending the tax credits. \u201cEight in ten Americans want Congress to keep them \u2014 92% of Democrats, 82% of independents, and 59% of Republicans, including 57% of MAGA supporters,\u201d she noted. \u201cThey may not like Obamacare,\u201d she added wryly, \u201cbut what they hate more are high health care costs.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The expiration of Affordable Care Act tax credits will leave nearly four million people without coverage. Rising premiums threaten to deepen the nation\u2019s health and economic crisis. The social health crisis in the United States seems like a story with no end. The expiration of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits threatens to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1594,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[686],"tags":[1277,196,282,690,1884],"class_list":["post-1593","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-american-community-media","tag-american-community-media","tag-california","tag-health","tag-healthcare","tag-medical"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1593","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1593"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1593\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1596,"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1593\/revisions\/1596"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1593"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}