Welp. House Republicans did indeed follow through with passing their horrific (and disgustingly-titled) "One Big Beautiful Bill" Act which will effectively repeal the bulk of the ACA without officially repealing it, and that's just for starters.
The final vote was 215 - 214, with every Republican except a handful voting for it (and the two who voted against it openly admitted to the NY Times that they would have voted for it if their votes had been needed), and every Democrat voting against it. There were 2 Republican "no" votes...but both of those were only because they wanted the final bill to be even more draconian.
There's so many awful things included in the bill, many of which are of course healthcare-related, and it would take hundreds of blog entries to discuss them all...but I want to focus on one in particular.
For over a decade, State-Based Marketplaces have provided private health coverage to tens of millions of Americans, ensuring their health, well-being, and economic security. The Americans who depend on the Marketplaces include working parents, small business owners, farmers, gig workers, early retirees, and lower and middle-class individuals of all ages, political views, and backgrounds who drive our local economies and make both our rural and urban communities thrive.
The legislation under consideration in the House will severely impact the ability of these millions of Americans to continue to access this coverage and the health and financial security they depend on today. This will make for a sicker, less financially secure American public and strain hospitals and health care providers by increasing uncompensated care.
Congress Urged to Renew Expiring Enhanced Premium Tax Credits and Prevent Unnecessary Increases in Health Care Costs for New Jersey Residents
Over 450,000 Get Covered New Jersey enrollees would be impacted by loss of expanded financial help
New Jerseyans could lose more than half a billion dollars in federal support and face higher health insurance costs
TRENTON — Warning about significant health insurance premium increases for over 450,000 New Jerseyans, New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance Commissioner Justin Zimmerman sent a letter to New Jersey’s Congressional delegation strongly urging them to extend the expiring federal enhanced premium tax credits that have enabled hundreds of thousands of New Jersey residents to enroll in quality, affordable health insurance through Get Covered New Jersey, the State’s Official Health Insurance Marketplace.
With the pending dire threat to several of these programs (primarily Medicaid & the ACA) from the House Republican Budget Proposal which recently passed, I'm going a step further and am generating pie charts which visualize just how much of every Congressional District's total population is at risk of losing healthcare coverage.
USE THE DROP-DOWN MENU ABOVE TO FIND YOUR STATE & DISTRICT.
Enrollment More Than Doubled Since the Murphy Administration Took Over Operations of Marketplace - Over a Half a Million New Jerseyans Signed Up for 2025 Coverage
Residents with a Qualifying Life Event or Who Meet Certain Income Levels Still Have Options to Get Covered
TRENTON — Governor Phil Murphy and New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance Commissioner Justin Zimmerman today announced that Get Covered New Jersey – the State’s Official Health Insurance Marketplace – hit an all-time record enrollment with more than a half a million New Jerseyans signed up for 2025 health coverage. Enrollment on the marketplace has more than doubled since the Murphy Administration took over operations from the federal government and launched Get Covered New Jersey in 2020.
via the NJ Dept. of Banking & Insurance (via email; no link yet):
Residents Urged to Sign up for Health Coverage before Open Enrollment Deadline on January 31
TRENTON — Get Covered New Jersey, the state’s Official Health Insurance Marketplace, continues to draw record sign ups for 2025 coverage, topping 481,000 in the first nine weeks of the Open Enrollment Period that started on November 1, 2024, New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance Commissioner Justin Zimmerman announced today.
The Department also continues to hold pop-up enrollment and assistance events at several New Jersey shopping malls throughout the state in January to boost awareness, provide resources and encourage residents to enroll in 2025 health coverage before the end of Open Enrollment on January 31.
It was in early 2021 that Congressional Democrats passed & President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which among other things dramatically expanded & enhanced the original premium subsidy formula of the Affordable Care Act, finally bringing the financial aid sliding income scale up to the level it should have been in the first place over a decade earlier.
In addition to beefing up the subsidies along the entire 100 - 400% Federal Poverty Level (FPL) income scale, the ARPA also eliminated the much-maligned "Subsidy Cliff" at 400% FPL, wherein a household earning even $1 more than that had all premium subsidies cut off immediately, requiring middle-class families to pay full price for individual market health insurance policies.
Here's what the original ACA premium subsidy formula looked like compared to the current, enhanced subsidy formula:
NJDOBI Announces Record Enrollment to Date for 2025 Health Insurance Through Get Covered New Jersey
Residents Must Enroll by Dec. 31 for Coverage Starting Jan. 1; Open Enrollment Ends Jan. 31
TRENTON — Nearly 450,000 New Jersey residents have signed up for a 2025 health insurance plan through Get Covered New Jersey, the state’s Official Health Insurance Marketplace, in the first five weeks of the state’s Open Enrollment Period – a dramatic increase from 330,901 who had selected plans by this time last year, New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance (DOBI) Commissioner Justin Zimmerman announced today.
Nine in 10 people Who Enroll Will Qualify for Savings; Many Will Pay $10 Per Month or Less; Visit GetCovered.NJ.gov to Compare Available Plans, Review Financial Help Eligibility
TRENTON — Open enrollment for Get Covered New Jersey, the state’s Official Health Insurance Marketplace, kicks off on Friday, November 1, Governor Phil Murphy and New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance Commissioner Justin Zimmerman announced today. New Jersey residents and families will continue to benefit from historic levels of financial help to purchase health insurance and lower the cost of monthly premiums.
Findings show that while New Jersey benefits from high-quality care, health care costs have risen rapidly over nearly a decade
TRENTON – The Murphy Administration today released a trio of reports assessing the quality and affordability of health care in New Jersey. These reports serve as a critical first step to understanding and addressing the health care affordability challenge impacting individuals and families both in the state and across the nation. Together, the reports show that a lack of affordable health care continues to burden New Jerseyans, and they will be instrumental in supporting the development of innovative and collaborative approaches to address high costs.
