Ellen Allen: Premium tax cuts vital to health care (ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä)

One way is by extending the Enhanced Premium Tax Credits that are set to expire at the end of the year. Recently, the president and CEO of Pacific Research Institute, a California think-tank and member of the advisory board of Project 2025, ridiculed these tax credits as “wastefulâ€� in an opinion piece in the ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Gazette-Mail. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Over 64,000 West Virginians rely on these credits to make individual marketplace monthly premiums affordable. If Congress does not act to extend them this year, ours will be one of the hardest hit states. In fact, a 60-year-old couple’s annual premium would increase by almost $40,000 a year, and a family of four would face a $20,000 annual premium increase. These exorbitant costs would, for many, mean the difference between receiving health care or going without it, which can increase the likelihood of preventable diseases including cancer. In a state with such a troublingly high preventable death rate, we must do everything in our power to improve our health outcomes.

Healthy people make healthy communities and healthy economies. Healthy employees are more likely to contribute to their communities than those with poorer health. These health care tax credits are pivotal to the West Virginia economy. Small business owners depend on them as an option for their employees because they cannot afford to provide employer-sponsored plans. Many also depend on them for their own health insurance including seasonal employees and hourly workers. Should these West Virginians lose access to affordable health care coverage, our economy will suffer as individuals have less disposable income and our small businesses are forced to close.

In fact, if these state credits are allowed to expire, it could lead to a nearly $300 million loss in state GDP. West Virginia simply cannot afford that as it would devastate our local communities.

I have been on the front lines of our most vulnerable communities for almost four decades, fighting homelessness and food insecurity. I have seen first-hand the incredible impact that access to health care has, and I have seen the positive effects of these tax credits since they were enacted. Allowing these health tax credits to expire would spell disaster for almost 24 million Americans, including tens of thousands of Mountaineers.

In this instance, the ability to preserve access to affordable health care for over 64,000 West Virginians lies solely with Congress. Our Republican Congressional representatives must listen to the overwhelming support from the American people and the Republican grassroots base on this issue, even if well-funded, out-of-touch think tanks in California disagree.

According to a recent poll done by Trump pollsters Tony Fabrizio and Bob Ward with Building America’s Future (BAF), 80% of all voters — and 78% of Trump voters — support extending these tax credits. In fact, no other issue included in the poll generated such strong support among all voters. It is a rare thing to see so many Americans agreeing on anything in today’s political climate, but this issue is one where we can all unite: Congress must extend the tax credits that allow working Americans and their families to afford health insurance.

That’s why West Virginians for Affordable Health Care is joining the call for Congress to extend the enhanced premium tax cuts. We believe that our communities are strongest when every West Virginian has access to quality, affordable health care. We work tirelessly to achieve that goal by partnering with like-minded organizations, advocating for needed public policy changes, conducting public education programs, and protecting existing systems that align with our mission.