ICYMI: Davids Warns Kansans Will See Major Health Care Premium Hikes, Says There’s Still Time to Act

Yesterday, KCUR reported on Representative Sharice Davids’ (KS-03) efforts to extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits before Kansans face “dramatically increased premiums.” While those monthly premiums are set to increase by an average of 77 percent, Davids emphasized there’s still time to act before costs go up for everyone.

In Kansas alone, more than 160,000 people relied on these tax credits last year to save an average of $700 annually on their health care. Davids previously urged congressional leadership to include an extension of these ACA health care tax credits in any government funding bill. She also hosted a virtual press conference with Kansans who rely on these savings to afford other everyday necessities.

Read more from KCUR’s Noah Taborda:

“The Affordable Care Act marketplace for health insurance opened Saturday. With an enhanced tax credit set to expire at the end of the year, Kansans face dramatically increased premiums.

Stephanie Barr of Prairie Village, Kansas, is a breast cancer survivor. Her healing journey, however, is still going on.

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‘I am so close to having this wound healed but I am also now at a risk of losing my health insurance because my health insurance is set to go from $21.70 a month to well over $600,’ Barr said. That’s an increase of nearly $8,000 a year for Barr.

As of 2024, 160,000 Kansans face surging health care costs like this if the ACA enhanced premium tax credit expires. On average, those credits helped insured clients save about $700 according to a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis.

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Although open enrollment started Saturday, Congress can still act to prevent the tax credit from expiring.

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Kansas Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids said during a virtual press conference Tuesday that she is cautiously optimistic about some of the ideas floating around D.C. ‘You know, when you've got me and Marjorie Taylor Greene on the same page on a piece of policy, that tells me there’s a reason to be cautiously optimistic,’ she said.

Any extension at this point would likely still result in major disruptions, lawmakers say, but it would still help lessen the burden. Davids warned the price hike would likely result in many healthy people dropping coverage, driving up premiums for people with chronic conditions or already expensive medical needs. These, she said, are often the people most in need of health insurance benefits.

‘No Kansan should have to choose between paying for health care and putting food on the table,’ said Davids.”