- If Congress fails to extend the federal health care tax credits in the next few weeks, health care will become a whole lot more expensive and inaccessible for millions of Americans starting January 1.
- We’re asking Wisconsin’s members of Congress to act now and extend the tax credits.
- Do you or a loved one rely on healthcare.gov for your insurance? Whatever happens in Congress, the deadline to enroll via healthcare.gov is still December 15 for health care starting Jan 1 (or Jan 15 for health care starting Feb 1). Full list of healthcare.gov questions and answers is here.
Last month, Congress voted to end the longest federal government shutdown in US history and restored SNAP/FoodShare benefits, so 700,000 people across Wisconsin have a little more support to put food on the table. Long-term, there’s still more work to do to ensure SNAP has the funding it needs. But, for now, Congress made sure SNAP is available to families in time for the holidays. We are grateful for that.
Health Care is Still Unaffordable for Millions of People and it’s Going to Get Worse
While the federal government is back open, too many people still face the same uncertainty around health care that they did two months ago. Enhanced ACA tax credits, created under the Biden administration, have made healthcare.gov health insurance more affordable for about 272,000 people in Wisconsin. But so far, Republicans in Congress and the President have refused to extend these credits, and they’re set to expire on January 1.
Over the past few weeks, families across the state have received notice of how much their premiums will increase, and it’s not good. Without the tax credit:
- a family of four in Wisconsin making $66,000 would see their premiums increase from $1,452/mo to $4,477/mo.
- A 60-year old couple in Wisconsin making $44,000 would see their premiums increase from $1,021/mo to $3,034/mo.
Many Wisconsinites Will Have to Go Without Health Insurance
About 30,000 Wisconsinites just won’t renew their insurance because they can’t afford it, and that means increased costs for the rest of us.
The deadline for enrolling in health insurance through healthcare.gov starting Jan 1 is December 15 (or Jan 15 starting Feb 1) – find a full list of healthcare.gov insurance FAQs if you or someone you know relies on it.
To Wisconsin Congressional Leaders: Quit Playing Politics with Our Health Care
Affordability is a major concern for Americans, and Congress needs to act now to and stop blocking efforts to make health care more affordable for millions of Americans.
