As Trump, Congress debate budget extension, Pa. health insurance costs hang in balance

Nearly half a million Pennsylvanians are on track to see their health insurance premiums double, triple, or even quintuple in price starting next year – and it remains unclear if there’s the political will in Washington to address it.

The federal government’s 2021 COVID relief legislation created extra tax subsidies for health plans purchased through Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance exchanges, cutting patients’ monthly costs and keeping them low through the pandemic.

But as PennLive reported last year , the enhanced healthcare assistance will abruptly go away in January unless Congress acts within the next few weeks to extend it.

The issue has now become wrapped up in negotiations to pass a federal budget extension and avoid a government shutdown. President Donald Trump met with Co