(Radio Iowa) – Open enrollment starts tomorrow (Saturday) for tens of thousands of Iowans who buy health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace, and the premium costs could more than double for many Iowans’ A-C-A plans. That’s because federal subsidies expire at the end of this year, if Congress doesn’t approve an extension. Iowa Insurance Commissioner Doug Ommen says Iowans who are enrolling in A-C-A plans should seek help.

The Iowa Insurance Division says insurance carriers are also reporting overall premium increases of more than 25 percent. Katherine Hempstead, a senior policy officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, says many people are expected to become uninsured due to a sharp increase in their premium costs.

Nearly 137-thousand Iowans buy their health insurance through the ACA marketplace. Open enrollment goes through January 15th.