How Affordable is Affordable Care?

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Created on Wednesday, 25 March 2015 14:43

Written by Emma Kaplan

VERMONT- The out-of-pocket cost for Vermonter’s using Vermont Health Connect exchange is about to increase. This year, the state of Vermont and the Federal Government have subsidies in place to help customers pay for their health care.

 This original plan was changed for the coming year. The Federal Government will have the same subsidies in place, but Vermont only has the subsidies in place for the first six months of next year. The house is considering a plan using a payroll tax increase and a new tax on sugary beverages to keep current state health.

Starting next year, Vermonters with silver and bronze policies will pay more for healthcare under the Affordable Care Act due to rising healthcare costs, but those under the gold policy will not be affected. Vermont is one of two states that has additional subsidies in place on top of the ones provided by the ACA to help customers pay for their health care.

The increase could be larger if Vermont lawmakers can't continue with the same additional state subsidies. Customers with bronze policies will pay an increased amount of anywhere from $500 to $6,850.

Customers eligibility for subsidies is based on income, and if state cuts them altogether, people with bronze policies will not be impacted.