- One of Virginia’s federal lawmakers and advocates on Wednesday renewed their warnings that allowing enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies to expire at the end of the year would drive up premiums and push thousands of Virginians off their coverage, forcing families to choose between insurance and basic necessities.
- The ACA’s enhanced premium tax credits have made coverage more affordable for millions since 2021. In Virginia, roughly 400,000 people use the marketplace, and as many as 100,000 could fall off their plans if the credits expire.
- Health-care leaders have called the potential fallout “a bit of a tsunami,” warning that premiums could rise 30% to 50% next year.
- Kristen Clardy, a former Virginian now residing in Washington, D.C., said her son’s premature birth generated about $130,000 in medical bills — all covered by insurance.
- Later, marketplace coverage was “actually pretty affordable,” she said, until premiums began to spike. Now she faces an $800 to $900 monthly increase. “My heart breaks for moms who are having to make that choice between healthcare coverage and putting food on the table or gas and keeping their lights on,” Clardy said.
- If Congress allows the subsidies to lapse, premiums could jump sharply for families on the exchange.
- Kenda Denia, founder of Birth in Color, said the consequences would fall hardest on Black mothers. She noted Black women are more than twice as likely to die from childbirth as white women, and Black babies are 57% more likely to be born preterm.
- “Approximately 52,000 people lost health insurance between 2023 and 2024, including around 11,500 children,” she said. Without coverage, “fewer expecting moms are getting the prenatal care that they need.”
- For families living paycheck to paycheck, the fight in Washington translates directly into skipped appointments and strained budgets. Clardy said parents like her feel trapped between necessity and affordability. “Those are the real decisions that people are faced with right now,” she said.
- Meanwhile, Virginia’s marketplace is already bracing for instability. Some insurers, including Aetna, plan to exit next year, citing uncertainty tied to the subsidies. […]
- With the enhanced subsidies set to end Dec. 31, lawmakers say time is running short.
- “Millions more are about to see their health insurance premiums spike beyond their ability to afford when the enhanced premium tax credits under the ACA expire at the end of this year,” McClellan said. ”As a result, the cost of insurance will go up for everybody else.”
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