WASHINGTON — Do you or a loved one get your health insurance through the Affordable Care Act?

The latest numbers show 31 million people are currently enrolled in either marketplace plans or through Medicaid expansion nationwide - that's a record.

However, there are looming questions about whether a major rate hike is on the horizon for many of those health insurance plans.

THE ISSUE

There is inflation and there is Ukraine. There is an ongoing abortion debate.

Let's face it — the country is facing a lot.

Well, you can add health insurance premium hikes to the ongoing list of issues facing the United States.

Remember the Affordable Care Act and how it created new health insurance options for those who don't have insurance?

When President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan into law during the height of the pandemic, it created what's known as "advanced premium tax credits" that made health insurance plans obtained through the government marketplace cheaper.

The average family saved $200 in premiums, according to the latest data.

4 out of 5 consumers were eligible for plans that cost $10/month.

Enrollment has been up 21% this year — with lower prices playing a big role.

However, the funding that made plans so cheap will expire at the end of this year with families set to receive notice just a few weeks before Election Day.

Some plans may go up by hundreds of dollars each month.

More than a dozen Democratic governors wrote to Members of Congress last week asking them to take action to prevent what they call "dramatic premium increases" soon.

There are concerns in states like California, Colorado, Michigan and Nevada that this could lead to Americans declining health insurance.

So far, though, it's unclear whether Congress will address this.

Republicans have been reluctant to extend any type of pandemic assistance over concerns it will fuel inflation.

Democrats, meanwhile, are hopeful a solution could be included in a reconciliation package this summer.

That hypothetical legislation would pass with only Democratic votes in the Senate and likely address prescription drug reform and climate change as well.

However, that legislation hasn't been made public yet and would need the support of every Democrat in the Senate.

Recent history has shown us that it is a difficult task.

After all, Biden's signature "Build Back Better" legislation stalled over objections by Democrats — like Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia.

Video above: Best cell phone plans for seniors

Verizon is raising the prices on some of its older cell phone plans, the company confirmed to CNN on Monday. The move is part of a broader effort to get more of its customer base on 5G plans.

Customers who decide to stay on one of Verizon's older Unlimited plans will be charged an additional $2 a month. The change will take effect on April 10.

"Customers who are currently on — or choose to stay on — older Unlimited postpaid wireless plans from seven years ago will be notified of a new rate plan adjustment by email, direct mail and in their next bill to account for the added cost of maintaining these legacy plans," the company said in a statement.

Plans facing a rate change include Beyond Unlimited, Beyond Unlimited 55+, Go Unlimited and Verizon Unlimited. The company is encouraging customers to upgrade to plans such as 5G Get More, 5G Start and others that provide more "choice" and "flexibility."

The price hike comes as Verizon looks to grow its consumer unit, a part of the business that's struggled to keep up with competitors. AT&T raised rates last year on some of its older plans by up to $6 for individual lines and $12 for family plans. Verizon followed with the same price increases.

Verizon, whose shares are down 30% over the past year, did not say how many customers will be impacted by the latest price hike.

Last week Verizon announced a management shakeup and appointed Sowmyanarayan Sampath as CEO of the consumer business unit. Verizon's chairman and CEO Hans Vestberg said the appointments reflect the company's mission to strengthen its "competitive capabilities."

COVID-19 cases have been on the rise as the Delta variant spreads across the U.S. -- but areas with low vaccination rates are seeing disproportionately high levels of infection.

All 50 states and Washington, DC, have reported cases of the Delta variant, which is believed to be more transmissible than other strains. And though experts have stressed that vaccines provide strong protection against the variant and are the best defense against spread and continued pandemic conditions in the U.S., parts of the country are still lagging in vaccination rates, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"As a nation, as a whole, we are doing very well. We have ... about 50% of the population that is vaccinated," said director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci on NBC's "Meet the Press." "But we have a big country with disparity in the willingness to be vaccinated."

Fauci has said this disparity could result in "two Americas" -- one where most people are vaccinated and another where low vaccination rates could lead to case spikes.

The holiday weekend highlighted the divide as some regions saw increased COVID-19 infections and others celebrated holiday gatherings with the safety of vaccine protection.

"This is really a day of independence -- for folks in the United States who are vaccinated, this is really a holiday that celebrates our independence from the fear and the death and the hardships that so many people in this country have faced," CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner said.

Meanwhile, the South, Southwest and parts of the Midwest are starting to see surges. Florida, in particular, is being hit hard, Reiner noted, with about 17% of all new U.S. cases being reported in the state.

"People will continue to die until we vaccinate everybody," Reiner said.

The importance of vaccination became especially clear last month, when more than 99% of U.S. COVID-19 deaths were among unvaccinated people, Fauci told NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday.

White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeffrey Zients told CNN Sunday, "If you're not vaccinated, you are not protected so we're going to double down on our efforts to vaccinate millions of more Americans across July and August."

Renewed debate on masks

In areas with high COVID-19 transmission and low vaccination rates, even vaccinated people may want to wear masks, Fauci said Sunday.

"When I'm in that area where there's a considerable degree of viral circulation, I might want to go the extra mile to be cautious enough to make sure that I get the extra added level of protection -- even though the vaccines themselves are highly effective," Fauci told NBC.

And while some areas, like Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine have fully vaccinated more than 60% of the their total population against the virus, others are lagging far behind, according to the CDC.

Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi are the furthest behind, with 35.3% or less of their population fully vaccinated, according to CDC data.

"Currently, approximately 1,000 counties in the United States have vaccination coverage of less than 30%. These communities, primarily in the Southeast and Midwest, are our most vulnerable," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Thursday. "As the Delta variant continues to spread across the country, we expect to see increased transmissions in these communities, unless we can vaccinate more people now."

In states where about 35% of the population or less is vaccinated, counties or cities could see outbreaks, Fauci said.

Even with the possibility of outbreaks among undervaccinated populations, Reiner said vaccines provide strong enough protection that those who are inoculated shouldn't need to wear masks, except for those with extenuating circumstances like compromised immune systems.

Vaccination is "the ticket to get your life back," Reiner said.

For his part, Zients wouldn't say Sunday if masks should be mandated for vulnerable regions, but said local governments will make their own decisions and the CDC has been clear about who should and should not wear a mask.

Regardless of mandates, former U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said Sunday that masks may become normalized for some people looking to protect themselves against respiratory pathogens -- be the coronavirus or the flu.

"I think people are going to use them on a voluntary basis," Gottlieb told CBS's "Face the Nation" Sunday. "I think going to work with the sniffles is going to be frowned upon. I think businesses are going to have access to routine testing. I think there might be symptom checks within certain settings."

A push to get vaccination rates up over the summer

Zients, the White House coronavirus official, said the administration will be increasing efforts this summer to get more people vaccinated so they can return to enjoying life without fear of COVID-19.

President Joe Biden had set a goal to have at least 70% of U.S. adults at least partially vaccinated by July 4. The nation missed that mark by about eight million on Sunday.

The numbers are still ahead of where most people expected they would be, Zients said in defense of the vaccination progress, but added that federal officials will focus on increasing vaccine accessibility to the public to boost numbers.

"The most trusted messenger is the local doctor, the local health care provider, so increasingly we have vaccines in doctor's offices, at health care clinics, so that people can get their questions answered and roll up their sleeve and get a shot," Zients said.

If not enough people get that shot, it could spell a surge in the pandemic this winter, experts have said.

Vaccine expert Dr. Paul Offit estimated in May that 80% of the population will need to become immunized through vaccines or prior infections to avoid a winter surge.

"The proof will be in the pudding next winter," Offit told CNN's Jake Tapper.

MASON, Ohio — Kings Island, which on Wednesday announced it would limit its hours due to a shortage of workers, will increase pay for some jobs as it attempts to hire 900 seasonal employees.

Food and beverage service workers, lifeguards and security staff can expect an hourly wage of $18, the part announced in a news release Friday. Kings Island previously raised hourly wages for all employees earlier in May.

Park employees are also now eligible to earn up to $3,000 in bonuses as part of a new program, according to the release. Details about that program were not disclosed.