Estimated 400K Californians could be 'priced out' of Covered CA if Congress doesn't extend funding

""We do estimate as many as 400,000 of our current enrollees could be priced out of the coverage they have today,""

""It is a remarkable thing that they would take half a trillion out of Medicare, millions of people out of Medicaid, and not renew the subsidies. Why? To give a tax break to the richest people in America,""

""I'm still here for it and I have to find health insurance on my own. I wouldn't be able to do it in the open market,""

""It covers folks up to a higher income level than Medi-Cal. But for many of those folks, health care is still otherwise unaffordable,""

Covered California faces the possibility of sharply higher premiums if federal subsidies are not extended, with monthly costs potentially increasing up to 97 percent. Officials estimate as many as 400,000 current enrollees could be priced out of their coverage. Nearly two million Californians are enrolled, including about 40,000 in San Francisco, and many depend on the subsidies to afford insurance above Medi-Cal income levels. Individuals such as freelance workers and people recovering from addiction or homelessness rely on the program for access to care. Failure to renew subsidies could shift costs and reduce coverage access for vulnerable populations.

Read at ABC7 San Francisco