Without action, millions of Americans — including thousands across Fairfax County — will soon experience drastic changes to their healthcare coverage.
Federal health insurance subsidies are set to expire at year’s end, triggering increases to monthly premiums estimated at hundreds of dollars. Rep. James Walkinshaw and other House Democrats are in agreement that seeking a permanent solution is a hill worth dying on.
“When you layer on the cost from the tariffs, when you layer on increasing utility costs — we know that’s an issue here in Virginia — folks just can’t afford an increase in healthcare premiums of $1,200 or more each year,” Walkinshaw told FFXnow.
The Covid-era subsidies are at the center of the current federal government shutdown, which entered its ninth day today (Thursday). But as Democrats push for an extension as a condition of passing a new budget, Republicans have argued that should be dealt with separately, after a funding bill is adopted.
The enhanced premium tax credits were implemented in 2021 as federal lawmakers hoped to assist individuals who made too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but still couldn’t afford the premiums for then-current health insurance plans on the Affordable Care Act marketplace.
More than 19,000 Fairfax County residents are expected to see higher premiums without the subsidies, Walkinshaw’s office says, likely triggering some residents to outright drop their coverage.
Speaking with a group of potentially affected residents in Reston yesterday (Wednesday), Walkinshaw echoed Democrats nationwide in putting the onus on Republicans to commit to preserving the subsidies as a concession in the standoff over a new federal budget.
“It is clear to me that President Trump and my Republican colleagues in Congress are so dead set on taking health care from people that they’re willing to shut down the government over it,” Walkinshaw told attendees of the roundtable, held at Elden Street Tea Shop in Lake Anne Plaza.
Participants in the roundtable noted their concerns, especially ahead of the next open enrollment period starting on Nov. 1.
Rachel Rozner, the owner of the tea shop, noted that one of her employees plans to drop coverage based on the anticipated pricing.
“She’s considering dropping her insurance and not having insurance, because the price is going to go up exponentially,” Rozner said. “It’s not going to be affordable — it’s actually cheaper for her to just pay out of pocket when needed.”
As Congress looks for a path ahead, ultimately, someone will need to relent.
“We recognize that, in a negotiation, both sides have to make compromises,” Walkinshaw said. “When you have two plans that both fail, the next step should be to sit down and try to work out the differences and find a middle ground. That’s what we’re encouraging Republicans to do.”
One solution proposed by Republicans is a temporary, one-year extension of the subsidies, but Democrats remain seemingly united on calls for a more permanent solution.
“The Republicans that are advocating to do something are saying it should be temporary, and maybe there should be changes to the systems, so it’s possible that a temporary extension is an outcome,” Walkinshaw said. “I think it would be unwise to pair that temporary extension up within the election cycle.”
