Jessica Mathews / Public News Service / News@whmi.com


In Michigan, more than 530,000 residents depend on Affordable Care Act marketplace plans – and advocates warn coverage is becoming harder to afford as enhanced federal tax credits expire.

New enrollment data show fewer Michiganders signed up for coverage this year as premiums and deductibles rose for many individual plans.

Heather Kory owns the Corey Agency, a health insurance brokerage in Bay City. She’s seeing the impact firsthand among Michigan families, saying "Husband and wife that live in Michigan, and their household income is $32,000 – and last year they were paying $88 dollars for their plan. And to renew the same plan, it was going to be $888 dollars. Can you imagine going from $88 to $888?"

Kory notes that federal subsidies weren’t eliminated altogether, but that the enhanced credits added during the pandemic have expired.

Supporters of the changes say the shift is aimed at limiting federal spending and stabilizing insurance markets.

Millions of Americans with serious health conditions relied on the credits for affordable health insurance. One of them is Victoria Sylvester - a small business owner and cancer survivor. She said "As somebody that really absolutely has to have health care, has to have insurance, it's very stressful to think that I may lose my insurance or have terribly high premiums. I already had an increase in my deductible."

Those who back the cuts warn continuing expanded credits indefinitely could strain the federal budget and crowd out funding for other priorities.

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