Mass. residents face massive health care premium hikes amid shutdown
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Open enrollment for Massachusetts' health insurance marketplace starts Saturday and nearly 300,000 Bay Staters could see coverage costs soar.
Why it matters: The Massachusetts Health Connector says the projected hikes could push tens of thousands of people to drop coverage and go without insurance.
- Over 97% of Massachusetts residents are currently insured, the most of any state.
Driving the news: Increases could average more than $1,300 per year based on 2026 rates, per Health Connector officials.
- The Massachusetts marketplace began sending out final eligibility notices this month, showing huge spikes in 2026 premiums.
Yes, but: Federal aid that kept premiums down is set to expire. If Congress doesn't extend the aid, out-of-pocket costs could be even higher, depending on income and where a person lives.
What they're saying: "This feels like it would be a real gut punch to working families across the state if this was to be rolled back," advocacy group Health Care for All senior director Alex Sheff told Commonwealth Beacon this week.
By the numbers: Self-employed couples between ages 57 and 62 making around $85,000 could see between $1,687 and $3,124 added to their monthly premium for unsubsidized coverage, per Health Connector estimates.
- A family of four earning between $128,600 and $160,750 could lose access to subsidized plans entirely, forcing them from $274 monthly premiums up to at least $1,100 for equivalent coverage.
Catch up quick: The Affordable Care Act tax credits, federal subsidies for people with marketplace coverage, are the key sticking point in the partisan divide over the government shutdown.
- Democrats have tied extending those subsidies to budget negotiations to reopen the government.
- GOP leaders say they won't budge until Democrats back their funding bill.
Zoom out: Altogether, the expiring subsidies could trigger the loss of $425 million in federal support for Massachusetts residents, per the Health Connector.
- Over 25,000 people would no longer receive any tax credit at all.
- That could cause state lawmakers to scramble to find hundreds of millions to keep subsidized ConnectorCare program premiums affordable.
What we're watching: How long the shutdown and stalemate over the subsidies lasts and if lawmakers begin work to fill the holes with state taxpayer dollars.