Posted on 09/17/25
| News Source: Maryland Matters
Annapolis, MD - Sept. 17, 2025 - Marylanders who purchase health insurance on the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace could see their monthly health expenses skyrocket unless Congress decides to extend a popular pandemic-era tax credit that’s set to expire this year, advocates say.
Just how much costs could rise is still unknown in many states, but advocacy groups such as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation are trying to estimate the impact to help states and individuals prepare. The nonprofit said that some Marylanders could see monthly premiums more than double if enhanced premium tax credits created during the COVID-19 pandemic expire.
“You have a lot of people who don’t get an offer of coverage from their job,” said Katherine Hempstead, national health policy expert for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
“These are people who don’t have another way to get health insurance because they are not eligible for Medicaid – their income is too high,” she said. “That could be people who work for small businesses … Someone who is self-employed – a musician or an entrepreneur.”
The enhanced federal tax credit was created in 2021 to help more people afford health insurance during the height of the pandemic. But Hempstead said health advocates want them to stick around because they encouraged people to get insurance who might otherwise go without.