On May 11, 2023, the Biden administration ended the COVID-19 public health emergency declaration. Despite the COVID emergency officially ending over two years ago, the federal government continues emergency programs today, including the enhanced Premium Tax Credits (ePTC). The ePTC’s were enacted in 2021 as temporary relief during the pandemic and are set to expire at the end of 2025.
However, there is a push in Congress to extend these temporary COVID emergency subsidies. Providing working age individuals with a tax credit for healthcare contributes to keeping qualified individuals out of the workforce, which is one of the top small business problems according to NFIB’s Problems and Priorities Survey.