BALTIMORE (June 3, 2025) – The federal budget reconciliation bill passed by the House earlier this month will have significant consequences for the Affordable Care Act in Maryland, if it becomes law as is. For the nearly 250,000 Marylanders who buy health insurance through Maryland Health Connection this bill will increase premium costs, and create unnecessary, inefficient barriers to enrollment.
“For many of those enrolled in Maryland Health Connection, this proposed bill will drive up prices and increase the barriers to quality health insurance,” said Michele Eberle, executive director of Maryland Health Benefit Exchange. “Maryland Health Connection has increased enrollment by 40% in the last four years, because people who know how important health insurance is have found it affordable.”
With the House Republican budget bill having made it past its second significant hurdle last night (the House Budget Committee vote), it's time tot ake a cold, hard look at just what the impact of the bill will be in pure partisan terms.
The logic Congressional Republicans (or at least Donald Trump, who pretty much has complete control over the Congressional Republican hivemind) seem to be going with is that targeting the Medicaid expansion population is good politics for them because: