Stephanie Barr of Prairie Village, Kansas, is a breast cancer survivor. Her healing journey, however, is still going on.
Radiation caused complications — a staph infection and an open wound — which required a brief hospital stay and, so far, two years of treatment. Now, Stephanie is nearly healed, thanks in part to a tax credit she's received from the Affordable Care Act.
But that credit is set to expire at the end of the year, which could mean significant bumps in her coverage costs.
“I am so close to having this wound healed but I am also now at a risk of losing my health insurance because my health insurance is set to go from $21.70 a month to well over $600,” Barr said.
That’s an increase of nearly $8,000 a year for Barr. As of 2024, 160,000 Kansans face surging health care costs like this if the ACA enhanced premium tax credit expires. On average, those credits helped insured clients save about $700 according to a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis.
Justin Gust, Vice President of Community Engagement for El Centro Inc., works with Latino immigrants and families across Kansas City who, he says, need access to this marketplace to remain healthy.
He said the process is confusing for those born and raised here, let alone for immigrants who may be facing additional barriers. That's why Gust says El Centro has navigators who have already helped 10 clients enroll in and better understand the marketplace. He says some are already anticipating a premium jump of up to $500 a month.
“I don't know about you but I didn’t get a $500 a month raise in the past year and I imagine a lot of other Kansans are in the same boat,” Gust said.
Although open enrollment started Saturday, Congress can still act to prevent the tax credit from expiring. So far, Congressional Democrats have, prior to and throughout the government shutdown, refused to sign any funding bill that doesn’t include an extension of these credits.
The credits were originally expanded in 2021 to lower premium costs during the pandemic.
Congressional estimates suggest extending the tax credits would cost the government $350 billion over the next 10 years, a key factor cited by its opponents. The Congressional Budget Office estimates 4 million people nationwide will become uninsured if the expanded credit goes away.
Kansas Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids said during a virtual press conference Tuesday that she is cautiously optimistic about some of the ideas floating around D.C.
“You know, when you've got me and Marjorie Taylor Greene on the same page on a piece of policy, that tells me there’s a reason to be cautiously optimistic,” she said.
Any extension at this point would likely still result in major disruptions, lawmakers say, but it would still help lessen the burden. Davids warned the price hike would likely result in many healthy people dropping coverage, driving up premiums for people with chronic conditions or already expensive medical needs. These, she said, are often the people most in need of health insurance benefits.
"No Kansan should have to choose between paying for health care and putting food on the table," said Davids.
