TALLAHASSEE — The head of the state’s hospital association warned Wednesday that a large number of Floridianscould become uninsured if Congress doesn’t take action soon to protect Affordable Care Act tax credits.
Since 2021, enhanced premium tax credits have offered millions of Floridians cheaper health care when they get their coverage through the federal marketplace. Those tax credits are set to expire at the end of the year unless Congress acts.
“It is going to make the difference between having access to care and not having access to care,” said Mary Mayhew, the head of the Florida Hospital Association. “It is that simple.”
Mayhew spoke as part of a panel hosted by Florida Conservatives For Affordable Health Care, which was formed by the right-leaning consulting group Red Hills Strategies.
The group warned that people across the state, both low-income and middle-class, could see their costs increase by potentially thousands of dollars if the credits expire.
And that could lead to Florida taxpayers shouldering more of the burden, the group warned, saying insurers could increase prices or hospitals may have to turn to state government for more funding.
If people become uninsured, more would turn to emergency departments as a first point of care, Mayhew said, which would increase hospitals’ costsand the amount of unpaid services they provide.
Mayhew said whenhospitals see more unpaid expenses, theymay, for financial reasons, opt to “return to their core mission” and stop or reduce subsidizing programs like labor and delivery or psychiatric care.
“Republicans need to look at the federal marketplace as absolutely supporting their philosophy,” Mayhew said. She said that making sure people are insured helps support small businesses and gives people economic mobility.
Florida’s uninsured rate could double if the tax credits expire, according to projections from the Florida Policy Institute, a nonprofit think tank.
About 4.6million Floridians rely on health care plans purchased through the Affordable Care Act marketplace, far more than similarly-sized states like California, New York or Texas.
According to the health policy research groupKFF, in 2024, Floridians received about$27 billion in advanced premium tax credits for the4 million beneficiaries.
So far, members of Florida’s Republican congressional delegation have been largely quiet about their thoughts on the tax credits expiring.
Brewster Bevis, the head of the business group Associated Industries of Florida, said he and others are focused on letting Florida’s delegation know about the risk.
“I worked in D.C., I worked on Capitol Hill,” Bevis said. “It’s not until it’s in front of your face, in a burning dumpster fire, that you really start paying attention to these issues.”
Bevis said it’s bad for business if the workforce doesn’t have reliable health care, and noted that small businesses and self-employed people could be impacted.
Because many people may not know they’re receiving the subsidy, Bevis said they may blame health insurers when their premiums increase.
Bevis said he opposed the Affordable Care Act when he was lobbying in D.C.But he said the tax credits are working to support families.
“We were dealt a hand, and we’re dealing with the hand we were dealt, and it’s working,” Bevis said.
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