What Happens If Enhanced Premium Tax Credits Expire?

If enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies are extended past 2025, 17.4 million people would receive subsidized coverage next year, compared with 10.2 million if only original advance premium tax credits (APTC) are in place, a recent Urban Institute analysis shows. Meanwhile, four million more uninsured people will be covered in 2025 if the subsidy enhancements are extended.

The enhanced APTCs — which were initially passed as part of the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act and extended as part of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act — resulted in lower premiums for ACA marketplace enrollees at all income levels and allowed many low-income enrollees to access $0-premium plans. If Congress doesn’t act, the credits will expire at the end of the 2025 plan year.