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Local party leader asks Putnam County to press federal lawmakers to extend enhanced premium tax credits
Summary
Tom Townsend of the Putnam Democratic Party urged commissioners to support a bipartisan effort to ask federal lawmakers to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits he says 8,000 county residents rely on and warned of economic impacts if credits lapse.
Tom Townsend, vice chair of the Putnam Democratic Party, addressed the Putnam County Board of County Commissioners on June 24 to urge bipartisan action to preserve enhanced premium tax credits that he said have helped local residents afford health insurance since 2021.
Townsend stated that “over 8,000 Putnam County residents have relied on these credits to afford health insurance” and said the Putnam County Chamber of Commerce had warned Representative Randy Fine that the scheduled expiration of enhanced credits at the end of 2025 could cost the county an estimated $20 million in local GDP and roughly 175 jobs.
Townsend cited the chamber’s estimate that the average monthly premium would rise from about $63 under the enhanced credits back to $726 if the credits expire. He said the credits are especially important to small businesses and gig workers, and noted that the chamber had observed 92% of local businesses have 20 or fewer employees.
Townsend asked the commission to consider specific steps: adopt a bipartisan resolution urging extension of the credits, convene a countywide economic summit to bring together business and community leaders, create a joint advocacy task force with the chamber and commissioners, and launch a public awareness campaign.
Commissioners thanked Townsend for raising the issue and asked the Chamber to consider whether it wanted to take a leading role in any county action; no county resolution or formal action was taken at the meeting.
