Copyright syracuse.com
Syracuse, NY – More than 22 million people nationwide could see sharply higher healthcare costs when Obamacare open enrollment begins on Saturday, Nov. 1. The price of Obamacare is the subject of debate during the ongoing government shutdown. Democrats are predicting financial doomsday when sign-ups begin in two days. But that financial cliff is hitting far fewer New Yorkers -- though that pain could simply be a delay until next summer. Here’s why: Only 221,534 New Yorkers are enrolled in Obamacare, including 3,828 in Onondaga County, state data show. That’s 1.1% of the state population and 0.8% of the county including Syracuse. Those people, like others around the country, could see hundreds or thousands more in premiums next year. Yet that’s a sliver of the population, especially compared with other states facing the same predicament. New York only has 1 in 100 people enrolled in Obamacare. That’s tiny compared to other big states. In Florida, 1 in 5, are enrolled in Obamacare. In Texas, it’s 1 in 12 people. Even in California, it’s 1 in 20. Put another way, New York accounts for only 0.9% of the Affordable Care Act enrollees nationwide. In New York, many low-income workers qualify for Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act expansion. States like Florida and Texas never expanded Medicaid. Those who don’t qualify for Medicaid here have generally been steered toward a different health program, called the Essential Plan. That state-run plan covers many of the working-class families that utilize Obamacare elsewhere. There are 1.7 million New Yorkers on the Essential Plan. Here’s the rub for New Yorkers: The Essential Plan is facing its own crisis. Some 450,000 New Yorkers are getting the boot from the popular program, which includes no premiums and other perks. That’s after changes made during the summer budget bill undercut the Essential Plan’s funding. Those 450,000 people may very well be confronted by high Obamacare costs in the future. That doomsday won’t hit until July 1, 2026. For now, the debate during the shutdown revolves around expiring enhanced tax credits that lower the cost of Obamacare. Those enhancements, passed in 2021, saved families an average of $1,000 a year for people who signed up on the Affordable Health Care exchanges, according to an analysis by non-profit KFF. Those tax credits will return to lower levels next year unless Congress extends them. Democrats say they won’t vote to reopen the government until those enhanced credits are extended. Republicans say they won’t negotiate until the government reopens. Separately, the 221,534 Obamacare enrollees in New York are facing dramatically higher premiums next year, which were approved recently by state regulators. Fallout from the shutdown continues to grow, with federal workers missing their first paycheck last week. Millions who rely on food stamps are also bracing to miss their benefits starting Nov. 1. While the Essential Plan faces an uncertain future, it is offering a shelter, of sorts, for 1.7 million New Yorkers. For them, nothing changes Nov. 1.
