Elimination of ACA tax credit would be catastrophic for Wisconsinites seeking coverage
The quality and affordability of healthcare across the board is going to plummet as a result.
By Sen. Kristin Dassler-Alfheim
If you receive health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace, your costs are about to skyrocket because of what’s happening at the federal level.
The crux of the problem lies in whether or not Congress will renew a popular tax credit that helps healthy, middle class workers afford insurance on the ACA marketplace. If it doesn’t, these people are going to leave the market in droves, opting for cheaper, catastrophic coverage. For the ACA marketplace to work, you need a mix of healthy individuals paying in to offset customers who regularly require more expensive care. Losing this tax credit will upset that balance, destabilizing the market and raising costs for everyone.
Non-profit health insurance providers are another necessary piece of the puzzle because they hold for-profits accountable. The problem is that without this tax credit, non-profits can’t make the numbers work. Multiple non-profit insurers, including Common Ground Health Care Cooperative and Chorus Community Health Plans, have already announced that they will not be offering plans on the marketplace in 2026 in at least 11 counties across Wisconsin because of this.
The combined pressure of the influx of new customers who were previously covered by Common Ground and Chorus and the loss of this tax credit is going to force even more non-profits to withdraw from the marketplace, leaving for-profits with a monopoly. The quality and affordability of healthcare across the board is going to plummet as a result.
To alleviate the situation and bring costs back down, Congress must renew the ACA tax credit. I encourage you to contact your federal representatives and tell them to save the ACA tax credits.
Balance the boat so we can move forward together.
Sen. Kristin Dassler-Alfheim represents Appleton and the 18th District
