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Financial Planning > Tax Planning > Tax Deductions

Debate: Should COVID-Era Health Insurance Subsidies Be Extended?

By Robert Bloink By William H. Byrnes

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Many Americans who buy health insurance in the public marketplace are eligible for a refundable premium tax credit to help cover the cost.

The credit is typically available to taxpayers with household income between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty line. The American Rescue Plan Act generally eliminated the upper income limit and increased the amount of the premium tax credit. The percentage of household income that individuals are required to contribute to their health insurance coverage decreased to 9.61% in 2022.

As part of the Inflation Reduction Act, Congress extended the expanded COVID-era premium tax credit subsidies through 2025. Now, many are calling for Congress to consider extending the expanded subsidies beyond 2025 or even make them permanent.

We asked two professors and authors of ALM’s Tax Facts with opposing political viewpoints to share their opinions about whether Congress should act to extend or make permanent the expanded COVID-era health insurance subsidies. 

Below is a summary of the debate that ensued between the two professors.

Their Votes:

thumbs up Bloink
Byrnes

Their Reasons:

Bloink: The enhancements to the ACA subsidies have allowed many of the lowest-income Americans to qualify for zero-dollar health insurance for the first time ever. If these subsidies expire, millions of Americans will see their health insurance premiums increase, which can often make it impossible for families to afford health coverage. Individuals without insurance make health coverage more expensive for everyone. Extending the existing COVID-related expansions of premium assistance seems like a no-brainer, given that they’re clearly working.

Byrnes: These expanded ACA subsidies are extremely expensive and should be cut back to pre-COVID levels. Estimates show that making the COVID-era subsidy levels permanent would cost something like $335 billion over 10 years. That’s not a burden the American taxpayers should be forced to shoulder. 

Bloink: Inflation is not yet entirely under control, and many American families are already struggling to make ends meet. If not for the expanded subsidies, many Americans could see their health insurance costs increase by as much as 53% per year. When insurance costs increase, it’s likely that many of those families will simply choose to drop the health insurance and use the funds to cover other expenses. The expanded subsidies could prevent that from happening. 

Byrnes: Americans have many different options available when it comes to their health insurance coverage. It’s not up to the government to ensure Americans are receiving free health coverage. This is not a welfare state — these expanded subsidies would only serve to encourage Americans’ reliance on government assistance without any requirements that they be actively seeking gainful employment so they can cover their own health insurance costs. 

Bloink: The government should try to do everything possible to encourage Americans to remain insured — and that includes providing financial assistance. Maintaining Trump’s tax cuts post-2025 would cost far more than keeping the increased subsidies. We should be prioritizing finding ways to help ordinary Americans cover health insurance costs and save for retirement instead of extending tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

Byrnes: Reports suggest that many Americans and their health care brokers are misstating their income levels in order to qualify for these subsidy handouts. We obviously don’t have the robust protections in place that would prevent manipulation of the system. Americans have the ability to find jobs in today’s economy, and we should be encouraging them to take proactive steps to cover their own health insurance costs.

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Robert Bloink

William H. Byrnes

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