Letter: A looming health coverage crisis

A looming health coverage crisis

Editor: Thanks to President Trump and Republicans in Congress, a $4.5 trillion tax hike on the American people was averted. That's what would have happened if provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act were allowed to expire. Now, millions of Americans are poised to benefit from lower taxes and a stronger economy. However, this progress is at risk unless Congress acts swiftly to prevent a significant health care tax hike.

Eligible Americans who purchase their own health insurance through the individual marketplace rely on premium tax credits (PTCs) to make their monthly premiums affordable. If lawmakers do not extend PTCs before the year's end, costs will rise for 24 million Americans, and 5 million will lose coverage. In Pennsylvania, this means hundreds of thousands of working families and small business owners will be priced out of coverage or forced off it entirely.

With the credits set to expire at the end of this year, time is of the essence. Congress must protect Pennsylvanians from the consequences of the impending health care tax hike by taking quick action to extend the Premium Tax Credits.

Brett Rudloff, Orwigsburg