By Kristin Meadows / For The Herald
In Snohomish County, the question of health care is less about politics and more about peace of mind. Parents want to know their kids can see a doctor when they’re sick. Small business owners want to offer employees coverage they can afford. Seniors want protection from rising premiums that eat into fixed incomes.
That stability is in jeopardy. At the end of 2025, enhanced premium tax credits — the federal support that lowers the monthly cost of health insurance — are scheduled to expire. If Congress does not act, thousands of Snohomish County residents could see their premiums spike overnight.
These credits, first passed in 2021 as part of the Affordable Care Act and later extended, have made a big difference. They helped more than 215,000 Washingtonians afford health coverage. According to the Washington Health Benefit Exchange, without them, average premiums could rise by 65 percent. For families living paycheck to paycheck, that’s simply unaffordable. Statewide, as many as 80,000 people could lose coverage altogether.
The effect here at home would ripple far beyond the family budget. Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett is already one of the busiest hospitals in the state. If more residents lose insurance, more will delay care until they have no choice but to go to the ER; care that is both costlier and harder on patients. Local clinics and community providers would see more uncompensated care, putting added strain on an already stretched health care workforce.
Snohomish County has been making progress. The county’s uninsured rate has dropped to around 4 percent to 5 percent, and more of our neighbors now have the security that comes with coverage. But those gains are fragile. Without enhanced tax credits, affordability slips out of reach, especially for families in rural parts of the county or for workers who don’t have employer-based insurance.
We cannot afford to turn back. Extending these credits means keeping health care within reach for thousands of our neighbors. It means fewer families falling into debt because of medical bills. It means a stronger, more stable health care system in Snohomish County.
Congress has a deadline. If lawmakers fail to act before the end of the year, families here will pay the price. Snohomish County cannot wait, and neither can Washington state. It’s time for Congress to step up before the clock runs.
Kristin Meadows is the president of LifeWise Health Plan of Washington, a not-for-profit health plan that offers coverage for individuals and families across the state of Washington.
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