The Affordable Care Act’s enhanced Premium Tax Credits (ePTCs) lower marketplace premiums for all qualified Americans including start-up founders and their employees. These are particularly important for innovators who are taking risks, building companies on modest salaries, and reinvesting your hard-earned dollars into growth rather than expensive health plans.
These enhancements expire after 2025 unless Congress acts, which would trigger substantial premium increases in 2026. To help start-up founders and employees make their voices heard, Travel Tech is providing this action center on the ePTCs.
Background
Enhanced Premium Tax Credits (ePTCs) are federal subsidies that make health insurance on the individual market more affordable for all Americans, including start-up founders and their employees. They were first established during COVID, but they’re set to expire on January 1, 2026.
When they end, the subsidies will drop back to the old (pre-COVID) levels. That means much higher monthly premiums for anyone buying their own plan.
Analyses show that if enhanced subsidies lapse after 2025, subsidized enrollees’ out-of-pocket premium costs would rise sharply. Estimates predict increases of 50% or more for many households.
Start-up founders and early employees are especially vulnerable because they often rely on the individual market for coverage, unlike workers at larger companies with employer health plans.
For start-ups, these tax credits expiring would mean:
Members of Congress are currently negotiating on whether to extend these ePTCs.
The Transportation Assistance for Olympic and World Cup Cities Act of 2025 (S.1218) is a bipartisan bill that would provide targeted federal support to help cities and surrounding areas manage the sharp increase in travel activity expected during the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Travel Tech supports this bill because global events of this scale create extraordinary pressures on travel flows, affecting airport operations, ground transportation, and the overall traveler experience. S.1218 provides much-needed assistance to ensure host cities can keep travelers and residents
moving safely and efficiently.
S.1218, led by Senators Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA), would help support U.S. cities preparing to welcome millions of domestic and international travelers during two of the world’s most high-profile sporting events. Eligible host cities include Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Seattle.
These events will significantly increase travel demand across regions, spiking activity at airports, hotels, stadiums, fan zones, and key transit corridors. Without federal assistance, local officials will face major challenges coordinating travel flows, managing visitor volumes, and minimizing congestion across multiple modes of transportation.
S.1218 will help ensure:
Travel Tech believes this bill is essential to keeping travelers, and the travel economy, moving during these global events.
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