Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is calling on the state\u2019s federal delegation in Congress to act fast and pass an extension of Biden-era health care subsidies before the end of the month.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Polis, in a Sept. 9 letter<\/a> addressing all eight of Colorado\u2019s lawmakers in the U.S. House and its two U.S. Senators, said a failure to extend the subsidies by the end of September will \u201cdouble or triple health insurance costs for hundreds of thousands of Coloradans\u201d next year. The letter was also signed by Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera.<\/p>\n Originally passed in 2021 by congressional Democrats and former President Joe Biden as part of a sprawling COVID-19 relief package, the subsidies, called the enhanced premium tax credit, lowered health insurance premiums on the individual marketplace, which serves people who don\u2019t get insurance through their employer. In Colorado, the marketplace is called Connect for Health Colorado.\u00a0<\/p>\n The enhanced tax credits were later renewed through Biden\u2019s 2022 climate and health care law, and were credited with driving record individual marketplace enrollment<\/a> across the country. The subsidies are now set to expire at the end of this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n If that happens, insurers on Connect for Health Colorado are expected to raise average premiums in 2026 by 28% statewide, and 38% on the Western Slope.\u00a0<\/p>\n But the true costs for many Coloradans could be far greater. That\u2019s because the enhanced tax credit\u2019s expiration won\u2019t only shrink benefits for lower-income people but will also eliminate benefits for those making over 400% of the federal poverty line.\u00a0<\/p>\n In Colorado, that equates to $62,600 a year for an individual and $128,600 for a family of four. Without any subsidy, a family of four that makes that much on the Western Slope, for example, could be paying over $25,000 more for insurance next year, according to an analysis by the Colorado Division of Insurance<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Polis said rural Coloradans on the Western Slope and Eastern Plains \u201cwill be hit the hardest, as will hospitals and other health care providers that already operate on the margins.\u201d Increases for some people in rural counties could reach over 300%, Polis stated in his letter.<\/p>\n Polis said state lawmakers have already taken action to mitigate the fallout<\/a> by passing legislation during their August special session<\/a>, which he quickly signed.\u00a0<\/p>\n The measure, House Bill 6, raises additional corporate tax revenue to pump $100 million into state programs meant to reduce the cost of health insurance. Yet even with that legislation, Polis said more than 75,000 Coloradans could still be at risk of losing insurance next year due to the expiration of the federal subsidies.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOnly Congress can stop these massive premium increases and the resulting loss of coverage,\u201d Polis said. <\/p>\n The issue has become a major obstacle in Congress as lawmakers race to pass annual funding bills to avoid a government shutdown before Sept. 30.\u00a0<\/p>\n Top Democrats have said they\u2019ll reject Republicans\u2019 funding proposals<\/a> if they do not include an extension of the premium subsidies, an issue that has divided the GOP.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Daily Report: All the Garfield County News 12,000+ readers stay ahead. Subscribe at PostIndependent.com\/newsletter<\/p>\n Some Republicans support an extension, while others have signaled they\u2019re open to the idea but want to see a plan from Democrats that avoids tying it to the shutdown fight. Some in the GOP remain wholly opposed to continuing the subsidies.\u00a0<\/p>\n Republicans control Congress, with a 219-212 majority in the House and a 53-47 majority in the Senate.\u00a0<\/p>\n Rep. Jeff Hurd, who represents much of western and southern Colorado, is among a handful of House Republicans who\u2019ve introduced legislation that would keep the subsidies in place for another year. The measure, dubbed the Bipartisan Premium Tax Credit Expansion Act<\/a>, also has support from some Democrats.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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