Alaska's Small Businesses Face Health Insurance Crisis

Alaska's small business owners are in a tough spot. Health insurance costs are going up a lot. This is because special help from the government, called premium tax credits, is ending soon. Without this help, many small businesses might struggle to stay open. Some business owners, like Brie Loidolt, are seeing their insurance costs go up by hundreds of dollars each month. Loidolt runs a bookkeeping business in Anchorage. She says she works hard every day to keep her business going without needing extra help. But with these big increases, she might have to close her business. Congress has until the end of the year to extend these tax credits. But so far, they haven't done much. Some senators, like Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, support extending the credits. But others, like Rep. Nick Begich, haven't said much about it. The impact of these changes depends on things like income, age, and family size. For example, Mark Robokoff, who owns a pet supply shop, is facing a huge increase. His monthly insurance premium is set to triple, going from $924 to $2, 886. He says this will make it very hard to keep his business running. Loidolt also faces big increases. Her premiums are set to go up by about $500 per month. She already pays $1, 347 per month for insurance. Without the tax credits, she'll be paying more for insurance than she does for her mortgage. Nan Schleusner, a human resources consultant, is also affected. She and her husband have relied on insurance purchased through the Affordable Care Act. But now, they're facing huge increases. Schleusner says she might have to ask some of the companies she consults for to become their employee so she can join their insurance plan. These business owners feel like they're being punished for running small businesses. They say they're doing what society wants—creating jobs and improving their communities. But with these big increases in health insurance costs, they might have to make some tough decisions.