Open enrollment for the online health insurance marketplace begins November 1. But some Mainers say plans won't be affordable unless Congress extends enhanced premium tax credits that are set to expire at the end of the year.
Cathy Rasco, owner of Arabica Coffee in Portland, said she's currently paying $840 a month, and next year her premiums will increase to about $1,300 a month.
"I don't know how I'm going to pay $15,000 a year just in premiums, let alone the deductible and out of pocket expenses," Rasco said.
The enhanced premium tax credits are at the center of the government shutdown fight in Congress. First implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, the enhanced credits expanded subsidies to people who earn more than 400% of the Federal Poverty Level.
In Maine, that applies to individuals who earn roughly $63,000 a year and to 4-member households with an income of just under $129,000.
