LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, along with 13 other governors from across the nation, sent a letter to congressional leaders urging them to make the advanced premium tax credits permanent.
APTCs enacted under the American Rescue Plan (ARP).
“Right now, working families in Michigan and across the country are facing rising costs on groceries, gas, and other everyday expenses,” said Governor Whitmer.
According to Whitmer, making the tax credit permanent would lower healthcare costs for around 270,000 Michiganders.
The letter states that healthcare is a right- not a privilege, and that making APTCs permanent would “prevent a disastrous erosion of health insurance coverage.”
Protecting and lowering healthcare costs are not the only benefits that would come to Michiganders.
- Projections from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimate that:
- 63,000 Michiganders would lose individual coverage and become uninsured
- 31,000 would lose their subsidy but remain insured
- 177,000 would remain in the marketplace with reduced subsidy
- The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports that:
- The estimated premium increases in Michigan for a 60-year-old couple making $75,000 would increase by nearly $11,000
- Premiums for a family of four making $120,000 would increase by nearly $3,000
- According to the Kaiser Family Foundation:
- The average monthly premium in Michigan would increase by 39%, or $66
- With expanded tax credits, Michiganders paid on average $170 per month
- If the credit expires, Michiganders would pay on average $236 per month
- According to the White House, more than 303,000 people enrolled in the marketplace with reduced health care costs, a 14% increase
Read More: Gov. Whitmer urges Congress for lower healthcare costs