10/27/2025
If you have ten minutes with our Congresswoman what would you have discussed or asked?
Today I met with Congresswoman Julie Fedorchak. She is NOT conducting in person town halls. Yesterday I received a call from her staff after signing up on her website for a 10 minute meeting with her. I said yes I would be happy to come in to her Bismarck office today.
She schedules these brief meetings with constituents and online question times from time to time otherwise access to our only North Dakota Representative in Congress is highly limited.
We discussed healthcare costs. Specifically the cost of Medicare which was a real sticker shock for us when we retired. We pay 3 times more for our insurance and prescriptions then we ever did when we were employed full time. Our Part D drug plans are set to increase more then 50-100% and I have to research to see if my inhalers are still covered. Social Security will go up less than 3%. This is not sustainable.
The other thing I brought up is court ordered paternity tests need to be filed with vital statistics, maybe some states do but our state does not. Women who divorced 30 or 40 years ago and their children did not receive child support, the fathers may pass with an estate but the paternity test records were lost by the mom or the court and medical facilities have destroyed or canât find them. A child should have a birthright. A contested estate could be difficult with out the paternity document. This is a bipartisan issue and should be something done federally in my opinion.
According to Fedorchak the extended tax credits many are hearing about with the shut down are not for the tax payer purchasing the extended insurance since covid but is a tax credit which goes to the insurance company, which is not something I understood.
Update: I think Julie may not understand how the tax credits work this is what I found upon further research: The tax credits youâre asking about under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are for individuals and families who purchase insurance, not for the insurance companies themselves. Hereâs a breakdown of how they work and what is ending:
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Who receives the credit
These are known as the premium tax credits (often called the âpremium subsidyâ). Key points:
⢠If you purchase health insurance through a Marketplace (aka exchange) under the ACA, you may qualify.
⢠The amount of the credit is based on your household income, family size, and the cost of the benchmark plan in your area.
⢠If eligible, you can receive the subsidy in advance (so it is paid monthly toward your premiums) or you can claim it when you file your tax return.
⢠It is refundable â meaning if your credit is larger than your tax liability, you will receive the excess as a refund.
â Why the confusion about âwhoâ itâs for
Because the subsidy is paid to the insurer on behalf of the consumer when taken in advance, it can look like the insurer gets it. But effectively:
⢠You (the person purchasing insurance) are the one who qualifies and benefits from the credit.
⢠The insurer receives the payment simply because you authorized the advance credit to be applied toward your premiums.
â ď¸ What is ending / expiring
There are âenhancedâ premium tax credits that were temporary expansions of the original ACA subsidy. These are set to expire unless Congress acts. Some details:
⢠The enhancements expanded eligibility (e.g., households above 400 % of the federal poverty level could qualify) and increased the size of the credit.
⢠These enhancements were extended through the end of 2025.
⢠If the enhanced credits expire, many people will receive a smaller subsidy (or become ineligible, depending on income), and their out-of-pocket costs will rise substantially.
đ Summary
⢠The subsidies are for the insurance purchasers (consumers) using the Marketplace.
⢠The insurer is simply the mechanism for receiving the advance credit, but the benefit is to you as the enrollee.
⢠Whatâs ending is the enhanced version of the subsidies, meaning the more generous terms will revert to the original/less-generous rules unless renewed by legislation.
Communication on the shut down and so many issues are not happening. She suggested signing up for her newsletter. I suggested links to things or documents she would refer to in the letter not just a talking point.
We did not discuss the shut down or other hot button issues.
I had not been in the federal building for many years. They have a beautiful work of art and a display on former Govenor Guy which the federal building is named after.
Upon entering a sign states US ID is needed but no one asked or looked at my ID. Struck me as odd since one of the reasons of not holding town halls has been said because of security/safety issues. Not looking or asking for ID seems a lapse in security proctol. I guess I look as non-threatening as I am.
