In a vote this week, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a healthcare bill that did not extend enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits. Those subsidies would have helped hundreds of thousands of Michiganders afford coverage through the ACA marketplace. Without further action from Congress, the credits are set to expire at the end of this year.
Vaishu Jawahar with the health policy group “Protect Our Care” says coverage losses don’t stop people from needing care. Instead, they can shift costs throughout the healthcare system.
“They’ll have to go to the ER and they’ll probably end up in the ER in worse condition and need more expensive treatment,” Jawahar said. “And a lot of those times, those costs, what we call the cost of uncompensated care, will get passed on to others through higher bills at the hospital and also higher premiums.”
House Republican leaders say the healthcare bill they passed would lower insurance premiums for all Americans and includes other reforms. Some point to to alternative measures, like changes to cost-sharing reductions and support for health savings accounts or association plans, as part of their long-term strategy.
A vote is still likely in the U.S. House to extend the ACA subsidies, but that won’t won’t happen until after the subsidies have already expired.
