ILLINOIS MEDICAL DISTRICT (WBBM Newsradio) -- Emergency room doctors and nurses at Cook County Health are expecting more and sicker patients in the coming weeks, as people receiving health insurance assistance are set to lose those benefits.
Enhanced tax credits to help working-class and lower-income people buy health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces are set to expire January 1, and there's no agreement in Washington on whether or how to extend those benefits.
Cook County board President Toni Preckwinkle told reporters during an appearance Wednesday at Cook County Health, 1950 W. Polk St., that 300,000 people in the county buy health insurance through the ACA marketplaces, and 90% of them take advantage of the subsidies that are now expiring.
"It's a stressor, an additional stressor," said Preckwinkle of the situation, which she says will affect working-class and lower-income people the most.
"When access to affordable coverage is weakened, it doesn't make people healthier ... it pushes them further into crisis," Preckwinkle said.
Dr. Lauren Smith is the county's chief medical officer. She says she expects people will let their coverage lapse, and wait until treatable health issues become more severe before seeking help in the emergency room.
"Treatment in an emergency room is not the best way to provide preventative care or manage chronic conditions," said Dr. Smith. "It is the most expensive and least efficient way to deliver routine care - costs that are ultimately shared by all of us."
She said the county's hospitals and clinics are positioning themselves to absorb the expected increase in demand for emergency care ... in part through maximizing efficiency and increasing staff if needed.
Preckwinkle said Cook County Health provided $140 million in "charity care" in 2023, and she expects that number to go up next year.