Nov. 1 marks the start of open enrollment for Affordable Care Act (ACA) coverage. But on Day 31 of the government shutdown, lawmakers in Congress have yet to come to an agreement, especially when it comes to negotiating the extension of the ACA’s tax subsidies.
The Trump administration released a preview of available plans sold through Obamacare marketplaces in 30 states.
Insurers have increased rates significantly for next year — an average of about 30 percent for a typical plan in the 30 states where the federal government manages markets, and an average of 17 percent in states that run their own markets, according to a new analysis from KFF, the health research group.
Now, 4.6 million ACA enrollees in Florida are preparing for the worst.
“It’s estimated that 2 million Floridians will lose their health insurance,” said Democratic Rep. Darren Soto, who represents eastern Orlando, Kissimmee and St. Cloud.
His district has the second-highest number of ACA enrollees in the country: 275,000. Soto says if Congress doesn’t extend the ACA’s tax credits soon, millions of people could pay higher health care premiums or lose coverage entirely.
“The hardest hit are young people, who just barely are able to afford it, and then older people who are in that pre-Medicare age, about 55-64,” said Soto.
The top 10 districts with the most ACA enrollees are all in Florida, with over 1 million in Miami-Dade County alone. The South Florida districts represented by Republican Mario Diaz-Balart and Democrat Frederica Wilson have over 550,000 enrollees, combined.
Caplin News reached out to both Diaz-Balart and Wilson for an interview.
In an email, Wilson said, “Since Florida never expanded Medicaid, many Floridians have depended on the ACA as their safety net. If thousands lose their health care, health centers across Miami-Dade will have to cut back services, making it harder for everyone to get care.”
Diaz-Balart did not comment.
Wilson also wrote that Democrats in D.C. have been ready to negotiate to reopen the government and solve the healthcare crisis, but Speaker Mike Johnson keeps cancelling votes.
Meanwhile, Republican Sen. Rick Scott declined to be interviewed and instead mentioned an OpEd he wrote for the Wall Street Journal where he, like most Republicans, blames the Democrats for what is happening.
“They want the federal government to keep cutting massive checks to insurance companies forever, using your tax dollars to shore up the sinking ship of ObamaCare,” Scott wrote. “They’ve even shut down the government to demand it.”
On the other hand, Soto says this shouldn’t be a “Democrat vs. Republican” issue, adding that most members of Congress and their staffs get their healthcare through the ACA, and that each member from Florida has at least 100,000 constituents who would be affected.
“Every district in the state, regardless of whether it’s a Democrat or Republican, we’re all going to get hit hard,” said Soto. “We haven’t reached any watershed moment yet, but hope springs eternal.”
According to several media outlets, Senate Republicans and Democrats are trying to hammer out a proposal to end the monthlong government shutdown as soon as next week.
