Pennsylvania
Health insurance premiums could skyrocket in Pennsylvania
Pennie, the official health insurance provider in Pennsylvania, has said health premiums in the state may increase by 82 percent on average as enhanced tax credits are set to expire at the end of the year.
Why It Matters
Experts have expressed concern that the high costs of premiums will lead some Pennsylvanians to drop health insurance coverage altogether, joining an estimated 677,600 people in the state who are uninsured, WHYY reported.
One expert told the outlet that if healthier people dropped out of health insurance to avoid the costs, then insurers would be left covering a greater proportion of people with more complex health needs, which could drive up premium rates even further.
Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images
What To Know
Since March 2021, millions of Americans have received enhanced premium tax credits under the Affordable Care Act for coverage purchased through the Health Insurance Marketplace.
During his administration, President Joe Biden increased the subsidies for those who earned between 100 percent and 400 percent of the federal poverty level, while also extending the subsidies to those earning above 400 percent.
WHYY reported that the expanded subsidies allowed some beneficiaries to save an additional $100 or more each month.
The enhanced credits were extended through to the end of 2025, but President Donald Trump’s recently inaugurated administration seems unlikely to approve the needed funding. Some of Trump’s first executive orders upon returning to office sought to reverse the moves Biden made in relation to the enhanced tax credits.
As a result, Pennie, which provides health insurance to almost half a million Pennsylvanians, predicted that health insurance premiums would go up by 85 percent for those on an income of less than $21,870, and up by 50 percent for those on an income between $36,450 to $58,320.
However, enrollees on income thresholds between those bands could see their monthly premium cost more than double in 2026, Pennie reported.
The health insurance provider predicted that those on an income between $21,870 and $29,160 would see their health insurance premium cost rise by 117 percent, while those on an income between $29,160 and $36,450 would see theirs increase by 105 percent.
Pennie added that enhanced premium tax credits ensured that no family paid more than 8.5 percent of household income for coverage through the health care marketplace. However, if the credits expire, that figure will increase to more than 40 percent of household income for some families.
The health insurance provider also gave two examples of what the expiration could look like for couples in the state.
In Philadelphia, a 60-year-old couple earning $82,000 a year pays about $581 per month in insurance premiums with the enhanced tax credits. Without them, their monthly premium would increase to $1,544, a 166 percent increase.
In York County, a similar couple earning $82,000 could see their premiums climb from $586 to $2,976, a 412 percent increase, Pennie said.
The health insurance provider also said rural counties would “experience a disproportionately high financial impact, as rural residents will lose more premium tax credit dollars than those in urban counties.”
What People Are Saying
Devon Trolley, Pennie’s executive director, said in a news release on the insurer’s website: “Enhanced premium tax credits have made affordable health coverage a reality for many Pennsylvanians for the first time. Without them, costs will rise sharply, forcing nearly half a million people to choose between their health and their financial security. Keeping these tax credits in place means Pennsylvanians can continue to access essential care and protect themselves from medical debt—benefits that ripple through our families, communities, and the entire healthcare system.”
What Happens Next
Two of Trump’s recent executive orders included reversing Biden’s executive order 14009, which expanded open enrollment periods for ACA plans, and executive order 14070, which sought to lower ACA premiums.
The orders are among the first moves in the president’s broader agenda to reshape federal policies and American health care.
Pennsylvania
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Pennsylvania
Bill would create alert when children with autism go missing in Pennsylvania
(WHTM) — Legislation is in the works for a statewide warning system to locate missing children with autism.
State Rep. Robert Leadbeter (R-Columbia County) announced the formal introduction of a bill to create a “Purple Alert” system. It would quickly notify police and community members when a child with autism, or other cognitive issues, is missing.
His bill is called “Aiden’s Law,” named for a young boy in Columbia County, who disappeared earlier this year and drowned in the Susquehanna River. Leadbeter said a “Purple Alert” system would fill a gap in Pennsylvania.
“So, individuals with cognitive disabilities are able to then, if they go missing, have an alert go out to law enforcement organizations that work directly with them and that’ll save time expand resources, and ideally result in a safe return home for the missing individual,” Leadbeter said.
In this bill, the system would mirror others like Amber Alerts for missing children in danger and Silver Alerts for missing seniors.
Pennsylvania
Bethlehem man sentenced under Pennsylvania’s new AI child porn law
A Bethlehem man is among the first to be sentenced under a Pennsylvania law passed last year, making it a crime to possess AI-generated child sex abuse material.
On Monday, Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas Judge Kristie M. Marks sentenced 35-year-old Adam Erdman to two years, four months to 10 years.
Erdman in September pleaded guilty to felony possessing child sex abuse material. He faced a possible sentence of 5 to 10 years in prison.
Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan announced the sentencing in a news conference Monday afternoon. The DA credited U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, who introduced the new legislation and state Sen. Tracy Pennycuick, who championed the final version of the law last year.
“Before this law was passed, the use of AI to generate child sexual abuse materials went unpunished,” Holihan said. “Prosecutors like me need legislation like this to arrest and convict the criminals who use evolving technology to victimize others.”
Macungie-based attorney Michael Ira Stump, representing Erdman, couldn’t immediately be reached for comment Tuesday morning.
Bethlehem police on March 31 were called by Erdman’s estranged wife, who reported finding three AI-generated nude images of juvenile girls on his personal computer.
Prosecutors said Erdman downloaded photos of the children on vacation from their parent’s social media account, and then used artificial intelligence photo-editing software to make the children appear naked.
Erdman was charged on April 17.
The case was investigated by Bethlehem Police Det. Stephen Ewald and was prosecuted by Lehigh County Senior Deputy District Attorney Sarah K. Heimbach.
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