Cost of ACA Plans May Increase for Those at Higher Income

An important feature of the Affordable Care Act (ACA or Obamacare) subsidies made available to Americans opting for the plans. The impact of these subsidies has varied from state to state depending upon how the plans have been implemented in each state. However, the amount of subsidy is generally keyed to income, with those above four times the Federal Poverty Level Federal (FPL) receiving substantially less or even no assistance.

That was the case until the passage by Congress of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), part of the many bills designed to address the cost of the COVID crisis. ARPA expanded subsidy eligibility, now capping what people with higher incomes pay for a silver plan premium at 8.5% of their income. However, ARPA is due to expire at the end of the year, again making ACA plans less “affordable” for many Americans. There is strong support for extending the subsidies at least for another year.

You can learn more about this issue in a post from the Kaiser Family Foundation at Falling off the Subsidy Cliff: How ACA Premiums Would Change for People Losing Rescue Plan Subsidies | KFF. The Coalition for Hemophilia B will also provide additional information as it becomes available.