The Enhanced Premium Tax Credit is in danger and so is the health of Alaskans

By the end of 2025, thousands of Alaskans may be hit hard by health insurance cost increases. The Enhanced Premium Tax Credit, also called the ePTC, is set to expire, and without renewal, health care costs for users could more than double. The credits have been effective in reducing federal marketplace insurance premiums for self-employed, hourly wage earners, seasonal workers and small business owners, as well as for diminishing the number of people without access to vital healthcare resources.

If Congress does not extend the ePTC by the end of 2025, many Alaskans, including people involved in the criminal justice system, will be paying exorbitant rates for health insurance. This will result in many going without healthcare or relying on more costly options, such as hospital emergency rooms, Medicaid or government-funded health programs. The ePTC is crucial for working Alaskans to afford healthcare coverage and ensure that the cost burden isn’t passed on to taxpayers.

We see this firsthand at the Juneau Reentry Coalition, where we and our partners provide hands-on support for Alaskans before, during and after incarceration to help them find employment, housing, access to treatment and healthcare.

Those returning to their communities after incarceration have plenty of hurdles to clear. Limited access to basic needs and treatment, reliable transportation, sober housing and stable employment are just a few of the hardships they face when they get out. The jobs available to reentrants are often low paying, physically demanding positions without many benefits. Paying for healthcare is tough enough for all of us, but it is even tougher for someone who has just been released from incarceration and is starting with nothing. The ePTC gives them an opportunity to purchase lower cost health insurance. It increases their chance to become a healthy, productive member of the community and avoid future legal system involvement. Everybody wins.

Not only are these tax credits beneficial for our justice-involved population, they are also in the best interest of self-employed workers, hourly wage earners, seasonal employees and business owners in the state of Alaska. Extending the ePTC will protect the well-being of thousands of our family members, friends and neighbors. Alaskans are hard-working, resilient people. Unaffordable healthcare should not be another challenge that we have to overcome.

Tim Hunt is the Coordinator of the Juneau Reentry Coalition in Juneau.