LEXINGTON, Ky. (FOX 56) — Open enrollment is approaching for thousands of Kentuckians to consider their health care options. Kentucky’s Democratic leaders are raising the alarm, anticipating the cost of insurance to climb if action isn’t taken in Washington.
“It’s really stressful. I’m losing sleep over it. I think all day about what we’re going to do,” Louisville small business owner Ann Pipes said in a Tuesday morning media conference.
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The government shutdown has stretched into its 5th week with no end in sight, and now the issue at the crux of it all is increasing the political pressure.
“Every single Kentuckian is going to get notice in open enrollment, and they are going to see their health care costs skyrocket. Every single person, whether you’re on the Affordable Care Act, whether you have employer-based insurance,” Rep. Morgan McGarvey said.
McGarvey joined Gov. Andy Beshear to put a face to the looming concern over the Affordable Care Act tax credits expiring. Pipes is a self-employed real estate appraiser. She said she’s already taken a second job to brace for a substantial increase to the basic plan she receives through the state marketplace.
“Without that tax credit, our current monthly premium is $1,275. So that’s an increase of over $900 a month. We do not currently have an extra $900 a month in our budget,” she said.
Beshear said there would not be many options for the state to supplement any assistance if the credits expire. “No state is going to be in a position to be able to make up for the federal tax credits that are there. It would take a massive change on the state level, which would require acts of the General Assembly. So there’s not going to be immediate relief, I believe, in any state around the country,” he said.
Republicans have consistently countered that these are negotiations that should happen with the government open. Kentucky’s Republican delegation has largely blamed Democrats for the shutdown. Most Senate Democrats have voted down the House-passed spending bill that could reopen the government, due to the lack of ACA credit extensions in it. Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, a Republican, has also voted no on the bill to reopen the government, citing his stance on responsible spending. Over the weekend, he floated a proposal for President Trump to consider a bipartisan commission to address the cost of healthcare.
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“Name three Republicans and three Democrats in the Senate to an official commission to figure this out over a one-month period. And come back with a solution. But in exchange for that, I think the Democrats need to open the government for a month,” Paul said in an interview on FOX News Sunday.
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