Health official warns thousands across Washington could lose health care if tax credit not extended

An estimated 80,000 Washingtonians could be priced out of health insurance if the tax credits at the center of the ongoing federal government shutdown expire, according to the CEO of the Washington Health Benefit Exchange.

The announcement by CEO Ingrid Ulrey comes as the ongoing shutdown is set to enter its third week, with little to suggest it will end in the near future. The enhanced premium tax credits were initially approved in 2021 and later extended through the end of 2025.

According to data provided by the Washington Health Benefit Exchange, the credits decrease yearly premium costs for customers by an average of $1,330.

“If the enhanced level of these tax credits is allowed to expire, it will be people in our most rural counties, those who run small businesses or who are self-employed and older adults who are not yet eligible for Medicare who will face the steepest premium increases,” Ulrey said in a statement Tuesday.

Currently, 286,000 Washingtonians are enrolled in private health care plans through the Health Benefit Exchange. Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson previously said the expiration of the Enhanced Premium Tax Credits could cost Washingtonians approximately $285 million.

“If these credits go away, so will their health care plan. For the others who manage to keep health coverage, those Washingtonians will see their costs skyrocket effective Jan. 1,” Ferguson said during a Sept. 12 news conference. “We’re going to have some big challenges as a state to grapple with the impacts of this if it goes forward, but right now, we need to be clear in our objection to this, to communicate to the American people what’s at stake, and what this means for them.”

If the tax credits are not extended before open enrollment begins on Nov. 1, Ulrey said people accessing the state’s health care finder will see “higher premium costs until a solution can be remedied.”

“This will cause confusion, anger and frustration, which may result in some customers abandoning coverage altogether,” Ulrey said. ”The time for Congress to act is now.”