Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
As Open Enrollment for the ACA Marketplace nears its end, Congress continues to debate renewing the Enhanced Premium Tax Credits (ePTCs) that help make ACA Marketplace plans more affordable for over 23 million Americans and over 400,000 Utahns.
The tax credits, which were enacted in 2021, have helped millions of people find more affordable health coverage that helps keep themselves and their families healthy. If the tax credits are allowed to expire at the end of the year, hardworking Utahns and their families will face increased monthly premiums for their health insurance. Some people may no longer be able to afford the health coverage they need to be healthy and will forgo health coverage altogether.
The ePTCs are especially important in Utah, which has the fourth highest enrollment in the ACA Marketplace in the country. This has helped Utahns like Brick, who requires expensive monthly transfusions, to stay healthy but who faces rising premiums if the tax credits are allowed to expire.
With a higher monthly premium, he and his family could struggle to afford the care he needs. The rising costs of health insurance will have harmful effects on Utahns' health and economic wellbeing. According to KFF (a health policy research institute), Marketplace premiums would more than double on average if the tax credits expire and one in four ACA Marketplace enrollees would potentially go without coverage due to the rising cost.
Congress has just a few more weeks to act on the expiring tax credits but time is running out. Open Enrollment for coverage starting Jan. 1, 2026 ends on Dec. 15 and Utahns are already shopping for their 2026 health insurance. Many are beginning to face the impacts of more expensive coverage.
Now is the time for Congress to act and pass an extension of the Enhanced Premium Tax Credits to ensure that hardworking Utahns have access to affordable, effective health care.
