As 2026 begins, many Americans like Adrienne Martin and her family are entering the New Year without healthcare. Martin, a Texas mother, learned that her monthly healthcare premium was set to increase dramatically from $630 to $2,400, a cost she described as unaffordable.
Her husband relies on costly medication for a blood-clotting disease that would cost $70,000 a month without insurance. To cope, the family stockpiled the medication to survive the first months of the year, effectively preparing for a time without healthcare.
Millions are in the same situation as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies that made healthcare manageable for many are set to expire. These subsidies, created under the ACA and expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic, have made healthcare costs lower for roughly 24 million Americans who purchased insurance through the ACA marketplace.
Despite attempts by bipartisan members of Congress to extend these subsidies, political gridlock has left many Americans like Martin worrying about future healthcare costs. A new costing by health research non-profit KFF warned that averages could rise by 114% without these subsidies.
Maddie Bannister from California expresses similar concerns. Because of rising costs after the expiration of subsidies, she anticipates her monthly healthcare bill rising from $124 to $908. So many people are going to choose to be uninsured because it's cheaper to pay a penalty for being uninsured than it is to have healthcare, she said, as the increased healthcare bills compel her family to delay other financial plans.
Stephanie Petersen, another affected individual, used Medicaid for years before transitioning to ACA healthcare, only to find her monthly costs skyrocketing from $75 to $580. With such overwhelming increases, she plans to revert to Medicaid coverage, stating, Everyone should have affordable, good healthcare, and not have to jump through all these hoops.
A vote in Congress on extending subsidies is expected during the week of January 5th.
Until then, many Americans will start the New Year without health insurance or with significant financial strain as they navigate the rising costs of healthcare.
