The Trump administration and Congressional Republicans’ sabotage of the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance Marketplace is driving up premiums and making insurance unaffordable for millions of Americans. In New Jersey, about 150,000 of the 341,000 people who buy insurance through the individual market will see an average 22 percent – or $1,245 – increase in their premiums in 2018, according to a report released today by New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP). The impact is widespread across all Congressional Districts, according to NJPP’s analysis.

“Republicans in Congress may think that undermining the marketplace is a political game that will benefit them, but they should think again because many of their own constituents will be harmed,” said NJPP Director of Health Policy Ray Castro. “In fact, in New Jersey the residents in Republican-led districts are more likely to bear the full cost of premium increases than in Democrat-led districts. That’s because there are more middle-class New Jerseyans in Republican districts and they are not eligible for federal subsidies to defray the premium increases. This should be a wake up call for all New Jersey Congressmembers to support the marketplace before thousands of working adults and their children start to lose their coverage entirely because they simply cannot afford it any longer.”

A typical four-person middle-class family will see their annual premium increase to about $23,000 for a mid-level plan next year – in addition to their deductible, copay and co-insurance – making it unaffordable for many families. In all, these already-struggling New Jerseyans will face a total of $187 million in increased health care costs next year.