Next Steps for the ACA Tax Credits
I cannot believe that Senate Democrats caved without getting an extension of the tax credits from the GOP. All they got was a promise for a vote in the Senate, nothing from the House, and nothing but the back of the hand from President Trump.
My conclusions are that: 1) Trump and too many in the GOP were happy with the shut down and ready let it go on forever; 2) the trade-offs of 46 million soon to be very hungry Americans and the 2.3 million unpaid federal workers and all the other imperiled government services had to be weighed against the 24 million Americans whose health care premiums would increase dramatically and 3) many GOP officeholders don’t like the Affordable Care Act and want it to fail. Some subscribers will now drop coverage, and some of those now newly uninsured will die without the affordable care and coverage they have relied on. That harsh calculus is what we all face. Check out the premium increases at https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/aca-marketplace-premium-payments-would-more-than-double-on-average-next-year-if-enhanced-premium-tax-credits-expire/ I hope that those friends who voted for Trump and those who stayed home or voted for 3rd party candidates in 2024 can look yourselves in the face with great pride.
So now, the task ahead is very simple, put unrelenting pressure on the House and Senate GOP members to extend the enhanced tax credits. The pressure needs to come from doctors, nurses, health plans, unions, small businesses, pharmacists, hospitals, brokers, state, county and municipal governments. And most importantly, it must come from the 24 million Americans being impacted, their family members and their friends. This is a winnable stand alone issue, and Republicans in swing districts know that it will come back to haunt them in November 2025 if it is not resolved to subscribers’ satisfaction. The juxtaposition of Musk’s recent $1 trillion dollar salary, Trump’s tax bill skewed to benefit the wealthy, and the whopping health premium increases for hard working families if left unresolved will be potent campaign fodder in the mid terms.
See my blog for further details at https://www.luciensblog.com/blog/2025/9/18/premium-assistance-in-the-state-and-federal-exchanges-in-serious-jeopardy