If Congress allows the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits to expire, hospitals, physicians and other providers could lose more than $32 billion in revenue in 2026.

According to new research from the Urban Institute, supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, it’s projected that the expiration of these tax credits would also trigger a $7.7 billion increase in uncompensated care—which are services delivered but not reimbursed by insurers or patients.

Enhanced premium tax credits, approved by Congress in 2021, lowered the premiums people pay for Marketplace coverage and expanded eligibility to more households. Without them, approximately 7.3 million people could lose subsidized coverage, while 4.8 million more adults would become uninsured.

“The negative effects

See Full Page