Arizonans face health care uncertainty amid confusion over premiums
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Affordable Care Act insurance premium subsidies are scheduled to expire at the end of the year.
The expiration of the tax credits will lead to increased health insurance costs in 2025 for millions of Americans – more than 423,000 people in Arizona alone.
Phoenix-area small animal emergency Veterinarian Courtney Deer said she will face a sharp uptick in her monthly insurance premium costs when subsidies expire at the end of next month.
"For my husband and I, it was about $915 dollars a month for us these last two years, give or take $10 dollars or so a year," said Deer. "Then this coming year it's estimated to go up to $1,341."
As a contracted employee, Deer doesn't have access to insurance through an employer, so she must buy it on the federal marketplace.
In addition to higher monthly premiums, the same plan has higher deductibles and out-of-pocket costs, which Deer said is daunting, given her medical issues.
"And some of the providers that I've used for several years are no longer on that marketplace insurance," said Deer, "which is really tough because I have ulcerative colitis and Chron's disease."
ACA subsidies were a major factor in the negotiations to end the recent government shutdown, but they ultimately were not extended by the Trump administration.
