Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/sea-change-subsidies-white-house-push-leads-surge-obamacare-sign-n1267466 Uploaded: May 15, 2021, 6:00 AM EDT Sheryl Hagen was earning $13.25 an hour after working more than five years at a Missouri grocery store. But even working full time, she couldn't afford the $300 premium for her employer's health insurance plan — so she went without.

' Earlier this year, Hagen, 51, broke her ribs and the resulting hospital stay led to a $1,300 bill. She didn't have enough to pay it, and taking time off to recover only put her further behind. “I couldn't move and couldn't work and couldn't really do anything,” she said. “And then I knew I was going to have these giant bills coming at me. It was terrifying.” That experience, an arthritic knee and a later doctor’s visit had her looking into the special enrollment period for health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. With help, she was able to sign up for a marketplace plan for $73 per month. When President Joe Biden then signed the American Rescue Plan into law, which carries huge health care subsidies for the next two years, she reapplied and her premium was reduced to $0. “It’s like a light at the end of the tunnel,” said Hagen, who hasn’t had health insurance in 12 years. “I’m blown away.” Hagen is one of more than a million people who have signed up for Obamacare plans since the Biden administration opened up the special enrollment period, which began Feb. 15 and ends on Aug. 15. With the new subsidies and the limits the Covid-19 relief bill placed on health care costs, many are also paying much less for Obamacare plans than they have in the past. '