Mississippi could suffer most if U.S. health insurance subsidies lapse: report

NEW YORK, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- U.S. state of Mississippi could see the steepest drop off in health insurance coverage if Congress doesn't vote to extend temporary health coverage subsidies at the end of next year, according to a recent report issued by policy think tank The Urban Institute.

Some 112,000 people in the state would lose health insurance, a 43 percent increase in the state's already-high uninsured rate, the report said.

A decade ago, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) reformed the American health care system, offering millions of Americans an affordable health insurance option. Today, more than 21 million Americans have enrolled in an ACA Marketplace plan, and the number of people without health insurance has been cut by 42 percent, according to the report.

"If the enhanced premium tax credits expire, there will be dramatic declines in Marketplace coverage and increases in uninsurance, but the effects will not be felt equally across states or by race, income, and age," said Jessica Banthin, senior fellow at the Urban Institute in a statement. "Our analysis shows that their expiration could mean some communities may experience greater coverage losses, making healthcare unaffordable and inaccessible."

The increased subsidies allow Americans to buy health insurance plans on the ACA Marketplace at lower costs with enhanced premium tax credits. The benefits were first authorized by Congress in 2021 to help more Americans attain health care coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic, are set to expire at the end of 2025, according to an Associated Press report.