In essence, the Coalition to Strengthen America’s Healthcare is not just telling a story; they are urging all of us to be part of the solution. Their mission continues to resonate across the country, inspiring changes that could redefine healthcare for future generations.

With open enrollment now only two weeks away, and the federal government still on shutdown, health care stakeholders are growing anxious about the future of the Affordable Care Act enhanced premium tax credits. 

© Greg Nash

AHIP, the trade group representing U.S. health insurers, said this week it’s still not too late to renew the credits. 

“There are challenges associated with implementing a late extension of the health care tax credits, but these challenges are not insurmountable – particularly if there is continuity in policy for 2026,” AHIP President Mike Tuffin said in a statement.  

“There is still time to protect 24 million Americans from the largest spike in health care costs in history and there is still time to ensure consumers see immediate relief in 2026,” added Tuffin. “If the tax credits are extended, health insurers will work quickly with regulators and do everything they can to help consumers understand their updated coverage choices for 2026.” 

For some in Idaho, where open enrollment began this Wednesday, the reality of the expiring tax credits is already here. 

As NBC News reported this week, families in the Gem State have received notices that their monthly premiums could more than triple in the absence of the subsidies. 

And recent projections show that the impact would go farther than just rising uninsurance rates. A report by researchers at George Washington University and the Commonwealth Fund found that almost 340,000 jobs could be lost if the tax credits are allowed to expire. 

“Approximately 339,100 jobs are projected to be lost in 2026, as loss of income forces health care providers and other businesses to reduce their workforces. Slightly less than half of these jobs (154,000) will be health care–related, while the rest (185,000) will be in other sectors of the economy,” the report found. 

Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, I’m Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.

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Essential Reads 

How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond:

Trump moves to lower IVF costs with insurance guidance, drug agreement

FDA unveils drugs to receive expedited review in support of ‘national priorities’

Thune says he would not take advice from RFK Jr. ‘if I were a woman’

A MESSAGE FROM COALITION TO STRENGTHEN AMERICA’S HEALTHCARE

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