For one Wisconsin couple, Losing government-sponsored health care subsidies Next year means choosing a lower quality insurance plan with a higher deductible. For families in Michigan, that means no coverage at all.
For single moms in Nevada, soaring costs mean fewer Christmas gifts this year. She is already expanding the budget while waiting to see whether Congress takes action.
Less than three weeks until the end of the game Enhanced COVID-19 tax credits expire those that are helpful millions of americans Pay the monthly fee for the past four years of Affordable Care Act coverage.
Senate on Thursday Two proposals were rejected solve problems and Emerging Healthcare Plans House Republicans’ bill does not include an extension, which would all but guarantee that many Americans will see higher insurance costs in 2026.
Here are some of their stories.
From Gold to Bronze plans, a couple can spend more for less
Chad Bruns comes from a family of savings. That came in handy when the 58-year-old veteran had to retire from his firefighting career early due to arm and back injuries sustained on the job.
He and his wife, Kelley, 60, are retirees who cut their own firewood at their home in Sawyer County, Wisconsin, to cut their electric bill. They rarely eat out and rarely buy groceries unless they are on sale.
But as frugal as they have been, they will now be forced to be even more frugal, Bruns said. That’s because their coverage has become more expensive and less comprehensive under the health laws enacted by former President Barack Obama.
This year, the Brunses are paying $2 a month for the top-tier Gold plan, with a deductible of less than $4,000. Their incomes are low enough to help them qualify for substantial financial aid.
But by 2026, that same plan will rise to an unattainable $1,600 per month, forcing them to downgrade to a Bronze plan with a $15,000 deductible.
Kelley Bruns said she fears they could go bankrupt if their health fails next year. While their monthly fee is lower, about $25, their new out-of-pocket limit is $21,000, which amounts to nearly half of their combined income.
“We have to pray that we don’t have to have surgery or have to have some medical procedure that we don’t know about,” she said. “It would be very devastating.”
Families facing higher costs prepare not to buy insurance
Dave Roof’s family of four has been covered by the ACA since the plan began in 2014. The availability of insurance in the market at the time helped him feel comfortable starting a small music production and performance company in his hometown of Grand Blanc, Michigan. His wife, Kristin, is also self-employed and a best-selling author etsi.
So far, that coverage has worked for them even when emergencies arise, such as their 21-year-old daughter’s ATV accident last year.
But now, with subsidies for lower premiums expiring, Ruf, 53, said their $500-a-month plan will jump to at least $700 a month, with deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses soaring.
With their combined income of about $75,000 a year, the growth was unmanageable, he said. So they plan to cancel their health insurance next year and use cash to pay for prescriptions, tests and anything else.
Roof said his family was already living on the cheap and hadn’t vacationed together since 2021. In fact, they don’t save money or add it to retirement accounts. So while giving up coverage is stressful, it’s what they have to do.
“The fear and anxiety that this would cause my wife and I would be really difficult to measure,” Ruf said. “But we can’t pay what we can’t pay.”
Single moms face tight January budget, hope Congress takes action soon
If you ask Caitlin Provost, America’s middle class has gone from being squeezed to “completely suffocated.”
The 37-year-old social worker in Henderson, Nevada, puts herself in this category. As a single mother, her budget was already tight and she couldn’t afford housing, groceries and day care for her 4-year-old daughter.
Next year, it’s going to be even tougher.
The monthly fee for her plan rose from $85 to nearly $750. She decided the higher payments would come in January and be re-evaluated later, depending on whether lawmakers extend the subsidies, which currently looks unlikely. She hoped they would.
If Congress doesn’t act, she will drop health insurance and keep it just for her daughter because she can’t afford the higher costs for both in the long run.
Just one month of stress is enough to have an impact.
“I’m going to have to reprioritize the next few months to rebalance the budget,” Provost said. “Christmas will be much smaller.”