Sen. Durbin hopeful deal can be reached amid shutdown, insurance premium increases

CHICAGO (WLS) — Open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act begins Saturday for residents in Illinois and most states. Increases in premiums are expected to be the biggest since the ACA, known as ObamaCare, became law more than a decade ago.

A trip to the hospital may become unaffordable for millions of people who may become priced out of their health insurance. Half a million Illinoisans rely on health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, including Jessica Kazaniwskyj and her husband, who are small business owners. Currently, their insurance costs them $2,000 a month.

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“We just got a letter saying it would be $4,000, yeah, would be our new premium,” Kazaniwskyj said. “So that’s double, yeah, double. That’s not sustainable. That’s not sustainable for anybody.”

Inflation and the elimination of ACA subsidies and tax credits by the Trump administration are causing premiums to double and triple.

According to state of Illinois statistics gathered by Sen. Dick Durbin’s office, the monthly average increase for families in Cook County is $215. That is $2,580 annually, appearing to hit rural counties harder. Effingham County premiums may jump by an average of $844 monthly, or $10,128 annually.

“We believe that we need to act on this and do it now. It’s an emergency situation for many families,” Durbin said.

For the past month, the ACA has been at the center of the government shutdown. Democrats are willing to open the government if Republicans agree to negotiate a deal on extending the ACA subsidies. Republicans say, open the government first and they’ll negotiate later.

“All the Democrats have to do is say, ‘Let’s go.’ I mean they don’t have to do anything,” President Donald Trump said.

But, Durbin says Democrats don’t trust Republicans to keep their word. Durbin says both parties are talking, and he is hopeful something may break soon, especially since Americans are starting to learn about their premium increases.

“Republicans who are honest about it privately say this is a mess we’ve got to solve. And I agree with them,” Durbin said.

Kazaniwskyj says if something is not done, she may be forced to drop her insurance

“This is a human issue. This is not a partisan issue. This is not a political issue. You are messing with people’s lives; you’re messing with people’s health,” Kazaniwskyj said.

If subsidies are not extended, Durbin and other health experts say there is a chance between 30-40% of people enrolled in the ACA will drop their health insurance because they can no longer afford it.