The issue of Health Insurance IS a BIG one in Americans minds…..
Congress IS probably going to approve some sort of health Insurance help in the end…
But getting to that point IS gonna HURT tens of Million’s of Americans (More in Red States?) who are already not happy with the economy eating up their money….
At least a dozen states are working to shield people from soaring health insurance costs following Congress’ failure to extend Obamacare subsidies for tens of millions of Americans.
The efforts, which include actions taken by state leaders in California, Colorado and Maryland, in nearly every case come with a major caveat: They will only be able to help a portion of the people whose health insurance will be too expensive without the enhanced subsidies that Congress opted not to renew before leaving Washington for the year.
“We can carry the cost for a little bit, but at some point, we will need Congress to act,” said Javier Martínez, speaker of the House in New Mexico, the only state so far to cover all lapsed subsidies. “No state can withstand to plug in every single budget hole that the Trump administration leaves behind.”
The speed at which the mostly Democratic states have taken action underscores the mounting national anxiety about the medical and political impact the end of these subsidies will have. Millions of Americans will no longer be able to afford health insurance, straining the budgets of state welfare programs and hospitals that are already in the red, and threatening to erode access to care to a level not seen in years.
Responses have so far been uneven, reflecting political and economic realities across the country. Georgia and Washington, for instance, are not likely to cover the subsidies, though for very different reasons. Other states, like Connecticut and New Mexico, have already acted, allocating money in sessions earlier this year in preparation for the possibility, and may add more in the upcoming year….
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And while there is a partisan divide, with far more blue states than red adopting policies to prop up the Obamacare markets, a few GOP-led states are feeling public pressure and are quietly taking regulatory action behind the scenes.
Local media obtained documents through the Freedom of Information Act in September revealing that Arkansas recently joined deep-red Texas and Wyoming in enacting “premium alignment” — a health care market tactic that essentially shifts costs around in order to ensure the remaining federal subsidies get to as many people as possible and keep out-of-pocket costs down.
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