Representative Angie Craig Applauds Official Closure of the “Family Glitch”
For over a year, Craig has pressured the administration to address the “Family Glitch” and save more than five million Americans several thousands of dollars annually on their health insurance premiums
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Angie Craig applauded the Treasury Department’s issuance of the final rule to close the Affordable Care Act’s “family glitch,” an action that will bring down health care costs and expand access to affordable health care for 62,000 Minnesotans. Throughout the past year, Craig has publicly highlighted the story of the Savage-based Krueger family who, because of the “family glitch,” faced insurance premiums that cost more than 25% of their household income – a price that Craig argued was unsustainable for working families in this country.
“For over a year, I have called on the Administration to close this costly glitch to provide some long-overdue relief to Minnesota families. I am thrilled that we were able to close this glitch once-and-for-all,” said Representative Craig. “This is a huge step forward in making health care more accessible and affordable for all Minnesotans – and will provide desperately-needed relief to families like the Kruegers.”
In Congress, Craig has long prioritized fixing the “family glitch” and lowering health care costs for working families. Last year, Craig publicly urged Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to address the issue. And, earlier this year, Craig helped introduce a bill to resolve the glitch through legislative action.
The family glitch originated from a 2013 Internal Revenue Service and Department of Treasury interpretation of the Affordable Care Act, which determined that families are ineligible for financial assistance if a family member is offered “affordable” employer coverage. The problem is that the IRS only takes into account the cost of the employee’s coverage, not the family’s. As long as the employee’s share remains under the threshold set by the IRS each year, the coverage is deemed affordable. However, for some families like the Kruegers, the cost of covering the entire family far exceeds the IRS’s definition of affordable, yet they are ineligible for tax credits.
A recent analysis estimated that 5.1 million people nationwide are impacted by the family glitch, including 62,000 Minnesotans. In Minnesota, the average annual premium for an individual is $6,904 and the average annual family premium is $20,751. Under the glitch, a family with a household income of $85,000 would not qualify for premium tax credit assistance even if they paid the average family total, which would amount to more than 24% of their household income.
The change will take effect in time for this year’s open enrollment season, which starts on November 1st. Minnesota families can go to www.mnsure.org to compare plans, determine their tax credit eligibility and enroll.
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