Americans Across The Country Feel ‘Huge Sticker Shock’ As Their ACA Premiums Skyrocket; Republicans Have No Plan To Address This Health Care Crisis Of Their Own Making
Hanford Sentinel (Idaho): ‘People are going to die’: Idahoans fear spike in insurance costs
Kansas Reflector: Kansas cancer survivor fears for health care as Congress weighs premium tax credit extension
Chattanooga Times Free Press (Tennessee): ‘I might die’: Subsidy loss could affect half a million Tennesseans
WSJ: The GOP Can’t Agree on a Healthcare Plan. “Some Republicans Are Panicking. Republicans have yet to coalesce around a healthcare strategy just days before an expected vote on extending enhanced Obamacare subsidies, triggering concerns from some GOP lawmakers about a voter backlash. The Senate is expected to vote this week on a Democratic-backed measure to extend the enhanced healthcare subsidies for three years. Senate Republican leaders agreed to hold the vote as a condition for ending the government shutdown.” [WSJ, 12/8/25]
Fox News: Republicans divided over whether to salvage Obamacare — or replace it — ahead of subsidy deadline. “Republicans across the board harbor deep frustrations with the rising costs of the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. But while some lawmakers believe it’s time to scrap the system, others fear a wholesale change may do more harm than good. [Fox News, 12/7/25]
NYT: Running Out of Time, Republicans in Congress Still Lack a Health Plan. “President Trump, who had hinted that he might lay out a plan, has remained mum, while top Republicans in Congress are staring down the deadline with little to show for their efforts to coalesce around a proposal.” .…“Republicans have struggled for years to come up with a plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, which President Barack Obama signed into law in 2010.” [NYT, 12/5/25]
Axios: GOP has a mess on its hands over ACA subsidies. “Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson are both considering votes on GOP health care priorities next week — if they can figure out what those priorities are. Why it matters: Democrats are unified in their demand for a three-year extension of the Affordable Care Act's enhanced subsidies, which expire Dec. 31. Republicans are still divided and debating their counter offers.” [Axios, 12/5/25]
The Economist: Republicans still don’t know what to do with Obamacare. “PICTURE A Republican voter. Perhaps they are in Texas or Florida, a farmer or someone running their own small company. These people are more likely to get their health insurance with supercharged subsidies for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces. The boosted tax credits are set to expire at the end of December, probably causing 3.5m people to become uninsured by 2027, according to the Congressional Budget Office, a non-partisan scorekeeper.” [The Economist, 12/4/25]
Read More:
ABC News: 'It's insane': ACA policyholders say soaring health insurance premiums are jeopardizing lives. “Colorado mom Astrid Storey, a thyroid cancer patient with an autoimmune disorder, was recently notified that her monthly premiums under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will jump by nearly $500 in 2026. A naturalized U.S. citizen from Panama, she said she's now contemplating what was once unthinkable: giving up her American dream and moving to a country with universal health care. Nathan Boye of Orlando, Florida, has diabetes and said he's been informed the monthly premiums for his ACA policy would soar from $28 to more than $700. The married father-of-three said he is now considering foregoing health insurance altogether.” [ABC News, 11/7/25]
ABC News: Obamacare enrollee sees premium spike over 300% as sign-up period begins: 'This will devastate us'. Stacy Cox used one word repeatedly as she described how she felt after learning her ACA premium could jump over 300% without the enhanced tax credits: "devastating." "I don't know if I've ever cried opening a letter from an insurance or before, but it happened this time," she told ABC News. Cox's premium this year has been $495.32 for coverage for her and her husband. Without the credit in 2026, she was informed that it's increasing to $2,168.68. "It's devastating because we can't afford that," she said. "Just that bill right there, that's more than our mortgage, our insurance, most of our food. That's what we're paying per month to live. We can't afford to double what it costs for us to live just to have health insurance." "This will devastate us if we tried to pay it," she added. [ABC News, 11/1/25]
ABC News: Mom of 2 on rising ACA premiums: 'It feels like, what American dream?' Briana Vasquez, a mother of two who lives in California, said she anticipated her Affordable Care Act health insurance premiums would go up after she and her husband got married this year and she had to claim his income. But she said she wasn't expecting just how much higher they would be without the enhanced tax credits, too. Vasquez told ABC News she currently pays about $282 a month for health insurance through ACA health care coverage for her and her two children. She said she would pay $1,003 a month for the same plan next year, when the enhanced tax credits expire. "It feels never-ending, and it feels like, what American dream?" Vasquez said. "Paying more for everything, that doesn't feel like a dream to me, really." [ABC News, 11/4/25]
CBS News: Some Americans are getting sticker shock as they shop for Affordable Care Act insurance. "I've been hearing stories about the price increases, so I've been dreading this week," Jeremy Tolbert, a 47-year-old web developer in Lawrence, Kansas, told CBS News. When he logged into his state's marketplace, he was dismayed to find out that his current plan's monthly premium is set to rise to $2,600 a month next year, up from $2,200 a month in 2025. That doesn't include higher cost-sharing for his family, such as a larger out-of-pocket maximum for 2026, meaning he's facing higher costs on both ends for the same coverage for himself, his wife and their 11-year-old son. "I already pay a significant portion of my income for this insurance," he noted. "What the hell am I paying for at this point?"… "At this rate, I have one to three more years before I can no longer afford a plan," he said. [CBS News, 11/3/25]
Financial Times: ‘A full-blown crisis’: Americans brace for a surge in healthcare costs. “Mike Plante could hardly believe his eyes when he discovered how much his health insurance premiums will go up next year. The 64-year-old public relations consultant is paying $400 a month. But this will jump to $1,965 — a nearly 400 per cent increase — if he renews his existing plan. ‘Me and some 65,000 other West Virginians are about to be run off a cliff,’ he said.” [Financial Times, 11/30/25]
Alaska:
Anchorage Daily News: ‘Punishing us’: Alaska small-business owners consider next steps amid steep rises in health care costs. “Thousands of Alaskans who purchase insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace will see their premiums skyrocket without the extension of subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year. The expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits could cripple small businesses in Alaska, some owners say, as they face premiums that in some cases will triple year over year, eating away at their ability to keep their businesses afloat… “Congress is ‘just punishing us for being small-business owners,’ said Loidolt, who has weighed closing her business in response to the rise in health insurance costs.” [Anchorage Daily News, 11/16/25]
Arizona:
Cronkite News: ‘We’ll likely have to sell our house’: skyrocketing premiums at heart of shutdown fight. “For the last six years at open enrollment time, Tucson resident Tracy Barber has checked prices for the marketplace health insurance she has relied on since retiring. This year’s price hike is staggering. To keep her high-end gold plan, the monthly premium would jump from $863 to about $1,500. That’s an extra $7,600 a year that she and her husband can’t possibly afford. Instead, she will downgrade to a silver plan with higher copays and a much bigger deductible. Even so, that will cost $1,350 a month – an extra $6,000 a year.” … “This insurance is more than $400 more than our mortgage,” she said. “It’s definitely going to put a dent in things.” [Cronkite News, 11/10/25]
California:
SF Gate: ‘It’s insane’: This Calif. couple is a facing an 800% hike in health care costs. “David Delfiner and Lisa Parsons received a shocking letter from their health insurance provider when they checked their mail last week. Their monthly health insurance cost will increase from $350 a month this year to $2,221 starting in 2026. “It’s insane. It’s unbelievable,” said Parsons, a 59-year-old retiree living in South Lake Tahoe.” [SF Gate, 11/3/25]
Florida:
WFTV: Health care premiums could more than double for over 4 million Floridians. “Over 4 million Floridians could face health care costs more than doubling by year’s end. The government funding agreement to reopen the government does not include provisions for extending health care subsidies, which help reduce plan costs.”… “Apopka resident Stefani Ceballos’ health care is covered by the VA because she is an army veteran, but she is the primary caregiver for her disabled adult son, Patrick. Last week, Ceballos received a letter explaining that Patrick’s insurance premium is set to triple, increasing from about $240 a month to over $910.53. ‘We expect to have to pay something, but we can’t pay that for sure,’ said Ceballos.” [WFTV, 11/11/25]
GPB: Georgians navigate new health care costs as ACA subsidies hang in the balance. “Brandi McGee Polatty, who lives in Jackson County near Athens, said after speaking with her insurance agency she learned her premium will rise three times higher than it was before. ‘The new premium is $345.23, [up] from $124 a month,’ she told GPB soon after reviewing her plan.” [GPB, 11/12/25]
Idaho:
Hanford Sentinel: ‘People are going to die’: Idahoans fear spike in insurance costs. “At 59, Susan Wood, a longtime Boise, Idaho, resident, was too young to qualify for Medicare when she retired in July. So she signed up for a marketplace plan under the Affordable Care Act, often called Obamacare.” … “Wood said she’d be on the hook for her plan’s full $700 monthly premium without the subsidies. Those payments would surpass what she spends on her mortgage or on food.” [Hanford Sentinel, 10/8/25]
Iowa:
KCRG: Brain cancer patient pleads with lawmakers over expiring health care subsidies. “In Iowa woman with brain cancer is urging the state’s congressional delegation to extend health care subsidies that she says are critical to affording her treatment. Grace Calvert was diagnosed with Glioblastoma four months ago, a brain cancer with a median survival of 15 months. Doctors removed an egg-sized tumor and told her she likely had 22 months to live with treatment. ‘In my case if I don’t have insurance I will die, and I’ll die sooner rather than later,’ Calvert said. [KCRG, 10/16/25]
Kansas:
KWCH: Kansans face dramatic insurance cost increases as ACA tax credits set to expire. “Nancy Mays of Mission Woods said if the tax credits expire, her new monthly cost for herself and her husband would be $2,030 per month, a significant increase from the $560 she currently pays. Stephanie Barr of Prairie Village works in the service industry and gets insurance through the marketplace because her employer will not allow her to work full time. She said she needs insurance to help heal from an open wound caused by radiation treatments she received for breast cancer more than a decade ago. In 2025, Barr pays roughly $20 per month. If the tax credits expire, she would pay $646 per month. She said that amount is impossible for her to pay and that she would have to quit her weekly wound care treatments and cancel other surgeries planned for next year.” [KWCH, 11/4/25]
Kansas Reflector: Kansas cancer survivor fears for health care as Congress weighs premium tax credit extension. “Wheeler, who owns a health screening business with her husband, said she doesn’t know what they would do without ACA coverage. ‘I honestly don’t think I’d be alive,” she said. “I know we wouldn’t have a house anymore. That’s the reality of it.’ [Kansas Reflector, 9/30/25]
NOLA: A Louisiana family paid $300 a month for health insurance. Now it's $2,000 as ACA credits expire. Victor McQuillen and his wife have relied on an Affordable Care Act marketplace plan for their health insurance for most of the past decade. This past year, it was a Blue Cross and Blue Shield silver policy that cost them about $300 a month. It saw them through health issues and the arrival of their newborn daughter. But when the 40-year-old freelance live audio engineer logged in to renew for 2026, the number on his screen made him stop cold. The plan he’d been paying $300 a month for was now listed at roughly $2,000 a month. “If you qualify for any ACA benefits, then there’s no way you can afford to spend $2,000 a month,” he said. “That’s really a joke. It’s not a real number. It might as well be $10,000.” [NOLA, 11/17/25]
Maine:
Central Maine: Small business owners in Maine facing huge spikes in ACA premiums. “Mary Link loves her job as a self-employed business owner, helping to run a home improvement company with her husband. But the Links, like other small business owners across the state, are facing a large increase in their Affordable Care Act health insurance premiums if certain tax credits expire at the end of the year. Without them, the Windham couple’s monthly health insurance bill, for the same plan, would more than double next year.” [Central Maine, 11/30/25]
WMTW: "It's ridiculous." Maine cancer patient expects insurance premium to triple. “Julie Morringello is in remission from cancer and has a plan under the ACA. She says she's worried about how she'll be able to pay for her plan. ‘I still require care,’ Morringello said. ‘Having insurance for me is incredibly important, and health care is incredibly expensive.’ Morringello expects her monthly premium to triple if Congress doesn't extend tax credits.” [WMTW, 11/11/25]
Montana:
Flathead Beacon : Ratepayers See Insurance Premiums Spike with Affordable Care Act Subsidies Set to Expire. “When open enrollment for the federal health insurance marketplace began on Nov. 1, Stob went online to check out her coverage options for 2026 and saw that her premium for enrolling in the same plan had more than quadrupled – in large part due to ACA tax credits that are set to expire at the end of the year.”… “‘It’s going to max me out,” Stob said about the new proposed premium. ‘I don’t know what to do.’” [Flathead Beacon, 12/1/25]
Missouri:
Missouri Independent: Missourians brace for health insurance premium spikes with federal subsidies set to expire. “‘That’s non-negotiable, whether I have insurance or whether I don’t,’ Ross-Fisher said. What is also non-negotiable is the premium she’ll pay to remain in a health insurance plan she purchases through the federal marketplace. This year, it’s $295 per month. Next year, if Congress extends current subsidies, it will be $479. And if the subsidies go away Jan. 1, the price will be $1,216 per month, a 312% increase. It is enough to give her pause, despite needing cancer follow-up care. Ross-Fisher in 2026 will qualify for Medicare, the federal insurance program for older and disabled adults. ‘I’ve been having conversations with my husband,’ she said. ‘What do I do? I’m now a cancer patient. Do I risk going for six months without insurance?’” [Missouri Independent,11/26/25]
Nevada:
KOLO: Sparks mother facing health care uncertainty while the Government Shutdown continues. “This feels intentional. This feels like a punishment that my own government is starting to punish people,” said Tiffany Thomas, a palliative care patient, living on a fixed income. “When I was 24, I had a stroke and was in ICU for weeks.”… “The crisis is already here for me and my family. It’s not looming, it’s not coming, it’s already here. With benefits that are going to be lowered or cut. If they increase deductibles or premiums, it puts me out of the game. There is no other option for me. There is no option for my kids.” [KOLO, 10/8/25]
North Carolina:
Ashville Watchdog: “There’s no way”: Huge ACA premium hikes force Buncombe policyholders to make hard choices, including dropping coverage. “Virginia Gilbert was shocked and angry after she learned last week that premiums for her Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance policy will more than double next year, jumping from $930 to $2,042.” … ‘I’m not really even thinking about myself at this point,’ said Gilbert, 63, whose expected 2026 premiums will roughly equal the monthly mortgage payments for her Asheville condominium.” [Ashville Watchdog, 11/12/25]
NC Newsline: ‘Will I go without insurance next year?’ North Carolinians face the possible loss of ACA tax credits. Ayers said as a small business owner, he would have been forced to delay treatment without coverage, possibly until the situation was much worse and required more invasive surgery. On Monday, Ayers allowed himself to open up the healthcare.gov portal to take a look at what his 2026 premiums would be. “To put it bluntly, I was stunned,” Ayers said. “The cost has gone up so much, now I do have to face it. Will I go without insurance next year? Just hoping I don’t get sick or injured.” [NC Newsline, 11/4/25]
Ohio:
Eagle Dayton: Millions of Ohioans worried about possible increase in ACA subsidies. “For Joe Stamps, owner of Stamps of Approval Hair Studio, that means a premium of around $500 a month. ‘If you already have pre-existing conditions, of course, each time you tell them, I have this, I have that, it just tacks on a little bit more,” he said. “And it’s like, it’s frustrating, really.’”… “‘That’s just really one day at a time, trusting God to take care of me, because the system does not seem to work for you, but they will use you to make money from you,’ he said. ‘So, it’s just one of those things.’” [Eagle Dayton, 11/25/25]
Tennessee:
WKRN: Breast cancer patient fears losing coverage amid federal government shutdown. “It is scary,” Spradling said. “I will also say it also hurts to hear people in the way that we talk to other people right now. I have two kids and yeah, it’s not nice to hear, ‘Well, sorry. You just won’t have coverage.'” For cancer patients like her, this isn’t political, she said. It’s about survival, especially during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. [WKRN, 10/17/25]
Chattanooga Times Free Press: ‘I might die’: Subsidy loss could affect half a million Tennesseans. “Chattanooga resident Cheri Roberts, 62, said on Wednesday that if the shutdown of the federal government continues, she worries her very health could hang in the balance. "I see eight specialists and am looking at upcoming surgeries. I couldn't afford (health insurance) premiums without (federal subsidies)," she said by phone. "You know, I'm not trying to exaggerate, but I might die if I stop going to the doctor." [Chattanooga Times Free Press , 10/15/25]
ABC 13: Some Texans worry about rise of health care costs as government shutdown looms. Millions around the country are enrolling in their health care plans for next year, and some Texans worry about whether they'll be able to afford the options they want. Data from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows close to 4 million people in the state are enrolled in the ACA Marketplace, like Yulissa Chavez from Galveston, who says she has multiple disabilities. ‘My plan is going to increase, and I'm really concerned if I'm able to afford it,’ Chavez said.” [ABC 13, 11/6/25]
Utah:
KUER: Utah mom fears health care hikes will turn everyday play into financial risk. “This is like a second mortgage,” said Snow, looking over new prices for their plan.”… “We pay about $1,300 now, and our current plan, if we kept it, would be $2,800 — that’s not doable.” [KUER, 11/17/25]
KSL TV: ‘This is ridiculous’: Bluffdale couple feels trapped as health insurance premiums spike amid shutdown. “For Bluffdale residents Lindsay and Brent Wolsey, that uncertainty hits home. Brent suffered an aneurysm in February 2024, leaving him paralyzed on his left side. Since then, Lindsay has been his full-time caregiver. “Our situation is something that no one can control,” Brent said… ““We can’t afford insurance,” Lindsay said. “This is ridiculous.” The Wolseys used to pay about $48 per month for their plan. Now, they’re bracing for nearly $300 a month. And without federal subsidies, it could top $1,700.” … “I’ve debated not getting coverage myself and just covering Brent,” Lindsay said. “It’s frustrating. And you feel absolutely powerless.” [KSL TV, 10/31/25]
Virginia:
Cardinal News: Virginians on health insurance marketplace see monthly premiums rise to ‘astonishing’ levels. “The sticker shock Reagan Fisher Wyssbrod felt when she opened her 2026 marketplace health insurance estimate sent her into a panic. ‘How am I going to pay the mortgage, repair the house and pay for health insurance? Something’s got to give. How are we going to afford all of this? And really, we can’t,’ Wyssbrod said. ‘We’re cutting back everywhere we can just so we can afford health insurance. It’s the most expensive thing we pay out.’” [Cardinal News, 11/26/25]
WTVR: Richmond teacher anxious over increase in health insurance costs: 'It makes you uncomfortable' “Anytime things like health insurance increase, it makes you uncomfortable," she said. … “Right now, everything is expensive. I don't need my insurance to also be a thorn in my side. I have to have it. I think that's where they know they have us. They got us by the you know what. They've got us. They know we need it," Ross said. “It’s a lot. I’m laughing to keep from crying. That’s what’s happening.” [WTVR, 10/16/25]
Washington:
King 5 (Washington): Thousands of Washingtonians face losing health insurance as federal subsidies set to expire. “Jessica Elston, a single mother of two from Richland, represents one of thousands of Washingtonians facing difficult decisions. After losing her job over the summer, she enrolled in ACA coverage. When she went to renew for 2025, she discovered her monthly premium would increase from $93 to $624 for the same plan if the subsidies aren't extended. ‘I'm actually really anxious about what it looks like to not have my mental health medication because I can't afford the $600 a month — that's half my rent,’ Elston said.” [King 5, 11/7/25]
Wisconsin:
WJFW: Farmers worried about Affordable Care Act tax credits set to expire at year's end. “For us the Affordable Care Act has been important as we’ve grown our business and our income has been growing,” said Katrina Becker, owner of Cattail Organics. “It allowed us to maintain reasonable health insurance.” … “Rising costs are everywhere in farming right now. We definitely don’t need it at a level that can impact families and their health,” she said. [WJFW, 10/16/25]
Wyoming:
Powell Tribune: Wyoming leads country with highest jump in Affordable Care Act costs. “With their Affordable Care Act insurance premium costs set to rise from the current rate of $600 a month to $3,000 starting next year, Elizabeth Aranow and her husband aren’t sure what to do. ‘We haven’t purchased a plan yet, because I’m reeling from sticker shock,’ Aranow said. The Lander residents could buy a cheaper marketplace plan, but at $1,800 a month, the least expensive plan available still more than doubles their costs while offering less coverage. The situation has spurred them to consider major life changes, like applying for new jobs with benefits or going without insurance.” [Powell Tribune, 11/25/25]
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