AUSTIN, Texas — Texans could soon face steep health insurance premium increases as open enrollment approaches, with the ongoing government shutdown adding uncertainty for millions of families.
Federal subsidies that help lower the cost of Affordable Care Act plans are set to expire, and analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows premiums could rise by as much as 18 percent. That has many Texans wondering if they’ll still be able to afford coverage.
“Republicans have never supported the creation of the Affordable Care Act,” said Joshua Blank, research director of the Texas Politics Project at UT Austin.
Blank says the stakes are especially high in Texas, which has seen Affordable Care Act enrollment grow faster than any other state, tripling since 2020. Nearly 4 million Texans are now covered under ACA plans, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
“Texas stands to lose out big time if the subsidies are not continued,” Blank said. “It’s expected that Texas is going to have a significant increase in its uninsured population, more than any other state.”
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Blank added that the expiration of the subsidies offers Republicans a chance to roll back the government’s involvement in that area of healthcare. “The Republican argument has been to essentially pass the continuing resolution, fund the government, and we’ll deal with these expiring health care subsidies later,” Blank said. “There’s no guarantee that the president would continue and actually spend that money on these healthcare subsidies.”
CBS Austin reached out to both parties for comment. Congressman Michael McCaul said in a statement, “If they [Democrats] truly want to protect Americans’ health and have a serious discussion about rational policy — not provide healthcare for illegal aliens, as their current bill does — they should stop holding the government hostage and start doing their jobs.”
On social media, Representative Lloyd Doggett wrote, “Austinites are about to be hit with enormous health insurance premium spikes. Why? Because Republicans let the government shut down instead of negotiating with Democrats to save ACA health care tax credits.”
Blank said if more Texans lose their health coverage, many will turn to emergency rooms for care they can’t afford.
“If the state and federal government choose not to pick up that tab, that’s when hospitals start to close,” Blank said.
Open enrollment begins November 1.