The Los Angeles Post

Governors urge Congress to avert ‘disastrous’ hike

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There’s more pressure on congressional Democrats to act on ObamaCare premium hikes, this time from a group of governors.

 

A group of Democratic governors is calling on Congress to avert what they call “disastrous” ObamaCare premium increases for next year as lawmakers search for a solution in their economic package.

  • The letter from 14 Democratic governors to congressional leaders calls for extending enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies enacted last year as part of President Biden’s American Rescue Plan (ARP) but which are currently set to expire at the end of this year.
  • “We urge you to take action immediately to make the ARP expanded subsidies permanent to prevent a disastrous erosion of health insurance coverage,” write the state leaders, including Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.

Manchin the big question: Democrats in Congress have also been calling for extending the enhanced subsidies, but their fate largely depends on Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), the key vote on Biden’s party-line economic package.

 

Manchin has not given a clear answer on whether he supports extending the enhanced subsidies. In one interview with Insider this month, he suggested he could support an extension if the financial assistance was further “means-tested,” meaning help was reduced for people with higher incomes.