The shutdown of the federal government in the United States stretches on, entering its third week, and healthcare premiums remain one the biggest points of contention.
Congress has been deadlocked for the past two weeks regarding health insurance premiums and subsidies through the Affordable Care Act (ACA)—if legislators don’t choose to extend premium tax credits and they expire, then annual out-of-pocket premiums for Americans that use the Affordable Care Act would increase roughly 114 percent.
There are approximately 44 million Americans that are covered by health plans through the Affordable Care Act.
State Senator Craig Richardson of Christian County says the premiums would go up, which would affect Kentuckians, but he also feels this circumstance doesn’t come as a shock, calling the ACA unsustainable.
Jim Musser, the Vice President of Policy and Governmental Affairs with the Kentucky Hospital Association, says they absolutely want people to keep their healthcare as affordable as possible—but he also finds it absurd to shut down the government instead of negotiating.
Senator Richardson says he hopes to have an agreement reached soon, because while active-duty members has seen received some pay, vital services that many Americans depend on remain unavailable.
Republicans and Democrats continue to point the finger at each other for the cause of the shutdown, and in the meantime, the Pentagon has redirected some funds to cover paychecks for active military members, but only for a single week. That’s only a portion of federal employees that are currently furloughed.