ROCHESTER – More than 450,000 people are about to lose their health insurance, and small business owners say they are running out of options.
The state’s Essential Plan is cutting off people who make between $31,920 and $39,900 a year after June 30. The plan had served as a middle ground for those who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to afford other marketplace options. A loss of federal funding leaves those making above $31,920 ineligible for the Plan’s coverage.
News10NBC’s Erin Mahon spoke with business owners in downtown Rochester about how they are handling the change.
Lauren Goetz founded Everyday Hands ten years ago, a business that helps seniors living independently by organizing and cleaning their homes, taking them to doctor’s appointments and sometimes just spending time with them.
When Goetz started the business, she and her husband had benefits through his teaching job. That changed when he retired.
“In 2018 he retired and became a full time house painter, at which time we got on Medicaid for our benefits and we got them through the exchange,” Goetz said.
Affordable Care Act subsidies kept their premiums around $315 a month, but pandemic-era tax credits expired in January and premiums jumped. For Goetz, the monthly cost shot up to $1,400.
“I opened up a credit card, a zero interest for 24 months. I’ve been putting it on that and then paying what I can each month, but the balance is growing and I don’t know…that’s the answer Erin I don’t know,” Goetz said.
Goetz would have qualified for the Essential Plan, but the new changes closing in make that no longer possible. Her and her husband’s combined income exceed the threshold for the Plan, but their current plan on the marketplace is sending them into credit card debt.
When asked how much longer she could sustain the premiums while keeping her business running, Goetz said, “I’ve thought a lot about this. If something doesn’t change or if everything stays as it is, maybe a year.”
“To be scared at this point in life…it’s frustrating. I’m mad,” Goetz said.
Mahon said she heard the same concern from another business owner, with both weighing whether to keep running their businesses or find a job that comes with benefits.
If you are losing coverage through the Essential Plan, you have until June 15 to sign up for new coverage that starts July 1. To learn more about the changes coming and how to get help visit this website: NY State of Health.
NY Essential Plan income cutoff leaves middle earners without affordable coverage WHEC.com.
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