LEILA FADEL, HOST:
In three weeks, federal subsidies that make it less expensive for people to buy health insurance through the Affordable Care Act will expire. Congress is scheduled to vote on a proposal from Democrats to extend those subsidies this week, but it's not expected to pass. While Congress debates what policy could come next, Colorado and a few other states are trying to keep health care costs in check themselves. Here's John Daley of Colorado Public Radio.
JOHN DALEY, BYLINE: Chelsey Baker-Hauck has a lot on her plate.
CHELSEY BAKER-HAUCK: Well, today, I am hooked up to an IV all day and all day yesterday, getting my immunoglobulin infusion.
DALEY: She spoke to me from a medical clinic in Denver. She's been battling long COVID, a heart condition and an autoimmune disease that requires treatment every two weeks.
BAKER-HAUCK: Yeah. It's - I'm a lifer.
DALEY: One stressor she didn't need is uncertainty about her health coverage. Baker-Hauck runs a consulting business and gets the enhanced federal tax credit to help pay for the insurance she buys through Colorado's marketplace. Last year, she paid $239 a month after getting a $313 tax credit. If Congress does not renew the subsidies, the cost of the insurance she's now shopping for is set to rise sharply.
BAKER-HAUCK: It's a lot more, yeah. It's a lot more. It's more than twice what I was paying last year.
DALEY: In anticipation, Colorado took steps to help protect coverage for those like Baker-Hauck.
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KYLE BROWN: Today, members, we're here to proudly present House Bill 25B-1006.
DALEY: Lawmakers met in a special session over the summer called by Governor Jared Polis. The Democratic majority introduced legislation. It aims to blunt the impact of the loss of the federal subsidies. Here's co-sponsor Lindsay Gilchrist.
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LINDSAY GILCHRIST: This bill will provide $100 million to prevent, as best we can, the massive cost increases Coloradans will otherwise face.
DALEY: It paved the way for a $100 million interest-free loan from a trust fund of unclaimed property to help reduce premium costs for consumers. Democrats passed it, over the objections of Republicans like Representative Dusty Johnson, who didn't like the way the state would pay for it.
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DUSTY JOHNSON: We are passing the buck by robbing Peter or robbing the people of Colorado because this is their dollars, not government dollars. This is the people's dollars that they have the right to claim back.
DALEY: But state leaders say if the enhanced tax credits aren't renewed, it'll be a disaster for the state's health system and will drive more people to become uninsured. Colorado is not the only state to take action, says Matt McGough, a policy analyst with KFF, an independent health policy group.
MATT MCGOUGH: States are just trying to fill in where they can.
DALEY: Democratic-led states, some with strong state marketplaces like California, Maryland and Massachusetts, have also tried to help their residents. They're offering state-funded premium assistance, like Colorado, or leaning on state programs that help soften the blow for insurance companies dealing with high-cost claims. Or, McGough says, they're ramping up consumer outreach.
MCGOUGH: But everything that they're doing is a drop in the bucket of what the federal government has done and is rolling back this year.
DALEY: And none of these state efforts are permanent, he says.
MCGOUGH: From my understanding, a lot of these are just emergency measures, one-time fixes that provide a gentle landing.
DALEY: Insurance customer Chelsey Baker-Hauck says she's grateful to state leaders for the help, which would save her $80 a month.
BAKER-HAUCK: This is a step in the right direction. I mean, $80 is a lot for me right now, so that adds up.
DALEY: Meanwhile, she's already cutting back on spending to cope with the much higher health insurance costs she fears.
BAKER-HAUCK: One of the things I've been doing is stopping medications, especially the ones that I have to pay out of pocket for.
DALEY: Baker-Hauck says it's unfortunate, but for now, she doesn't have a choice.
For NPR News, I'm John Daley in Denver.
(SOUNDBITE OF THEE SINSEERS & JOEY QUINONES' "SI LLORARAS") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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