Shopping for ACA health plans this open enrollment? Here's what to know
toggle caption Patrick Sison/AP
This year's Obamacare open enrollment period, which starts Saturday in most states, is full of uncertainty and confusion for the more than 24 million people who buy health insurance through the federal and state Affordable Care Act marketplaces.
The fate of the enhanced premium tax credits that make coverage more affordable for 92% of enrollees remains up in the air, with the prospect of significantly higher premiums looming.
But there are steps marketplace shoppers can take to ensure they make the right choices for the upcoming plan year.
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1. Understand how we got here
In 2021, as part of a COVID-era relief package, the ACA premium tax credits were enhanced to lower costs for previously eligible people and expand eligibility to people with incomes over 400% of the federal poverty level (which amounts to about $63,000 for one person in 2025). But those enhancements, which were extended in 2022, will expire at the end of 2025 unless Congress acts.
The debate over whether to extend them again has been at the center of a political batt
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