Obamacare enrollment deadline approaches, tax credit extension unlikely

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

65% : Regardless of what happens with the tax credits, Schwartz said the state has taken steps to ensure consumers have opportunities to receive the most affordable coverage possible, whether the tax credits are extended or not.
62% : An overview of the marketplace, tax credits Colorado's health insurance marketplace, "Connect for Health Colorado," was established after the Affordable Care Act went into effect more than 10 years ago.
62% : In 2021, the Biden administration's American Rescue Plan Act implemented the enhanced premium tax credits, expanding eligibility to people earning more than 400% of the federal poverty level and reducing the maximum household contribution.
62% : "In the short term, I'm committed to working on enhanced premium tax credits," he added.
61% : At its core, the marketplace makes it easier for individuals and small businesses to compare and purchase private health insurance plans.
60% : Many individuals might wait until the final, mid-January deadline to enroll, hoping for a last-minute extension to the enhanced premium tax credit that kept marketplace costs somewhat subdued.
59% : KFF Health reported that the number of people signing up for health insurance had more than doubled since the premium tax credits began.
59% : Locals looking to enroll in the state's insurance marketplace, commonly known as Obamacare, must select a plan by the end of Monday, Dec. 15, for full coverage next year.
56% : Democrats introduced a bill that would extend the tax credits without any other changes.
55% : The premium tax credit launched alongside the state marketplaces to subsidize costs for eligible individuals and families.
55% : More than one month into the shutdown, a small number of Democrats broke ranks and passed the resolution in return for a promise to later vote on a Democrat-led bill extending the tax credits.
55% : "(But) it cannot fill the gap left by the expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits, and it does not help those individuals over 400% (of the federal poverty level) who are (also) no longer going to qualify for premium decreases.
51% : The majority of Democrats refused to pass the continued funding resolution required to reopen the government unless it included a tax credit extension, which Republicans called a non-starter.
49% : The Washington Post reported that House Republican leadership aides said the bill would "codify and expand health plans for small businesses, fund reductions of premiums for low-income (Obamacare enrollees) and increase transparency in prescription drug pricing..." The proposal would not continue the health care subsidies, but there could be an opportunity to vote on amending the package to include an extension.
49% : A recent poll from KFF Health found that if an enrollee's premiums double -- which Mesa County residents receiving financial assistance will fall just short of -- about 33% of Obamacare enrollees said they would be "very likely" to look for a lower-premium plan with higher deductibles and co-pays.
45% : Initially, the credit was accessible to anyone who lawfully resided in the country, made an adjusted gross income between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level, was not eligible for public coverage like Medicaid and did not have affordable, employer-based coverage.
43% : " ABOUT THOSE TAX CREDITS ... Congress has faced turmoil over the tax credit extension for months now, with the subsidies even spurring the nation's longest government shutdown to date.
42% : "The tactic they've taken to deny the people the benefit of these tax credits is just going to make matters worse.

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