Medicare Watch - Older Adults at Risk if ACA Subsidies Expire
From funding cuts to policy reforms, the Republican-passed reconciliation bill (HR 1) directly harms older adults, including by making health care and coverage less available and more expensive. As the fate of expiring Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits remains uncertain, we look to a recent KFF analysis for more on how HR 1’s interactions with the ACA will impact adults ages 50 and over.
HR 1’s Impact on ACA Marketplaces
HR 1 makes changes to the ACA Marketplaces that will increase the number of uninsured and premium costs.
Enrollment Changes
Combined with the Trump administration Marketplace integrity rules, the new law will make it harder to sign up for a Marketplace plan, in part by shortening enrollment timelines and creating burdensome administrative requirements. As many as three million people, including older adults, are expected to lose health coverage as a result.
Premium Tax Credits
The law also fails to renew the premium tax credits that are set to expire this year. Since 2012, ACA tax credits have helped people with low and middle incomes pay their Marketplace premiums. In 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) increased the amount and availability of the credits and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in 2022 delayed their expiration, but only until the end of 2025.
https://www.medicarerights.org/medicare-watch/2025/10/30/older-adults-at-risk-if-aca-subsidies-expire