Higher costs, worse coverage: Affordable Care Act enrollees say ending subsidies would hit them hardest

for one wisconsin Couple that, the loss of government-sponsored health subsidies next year means choosing a lower-quality insurance plan with a higher deductible. For a Michigan family, that means going without insurance altogether.

for a single mother nevadaRising costs mean there will be fewer Christmas gifts this year. She’s already increasing her budget while she waits to see if Congress Will take action.

There are less than three weeks until the expiration of the COVID-era advanced tax credit that has helped millions of Americans pay their monthly fees for Affordable Care Act coverage for the past four years.

The Senate on Thursday rejected two proposals to address the problem, and House Republicans’ emerging health care package does not include any expansion, but it guarantees that many Americans will see much higher insurance costs in 2026.

Here are some of their stories.

From gold plans to bronze plans, a couple spends more for less

Chad Bruns comes from a family of savers. This came in handy when the 58-year-old military veteran had to leave his firefighting career early due to arm and back injuries sustained on the job.

He and his wife, Kelly, 60, both retired, chop their own firewood to reduce electricity costs at their home in Sawyer County, Wisconsin. They rarely eat out and rarely buy groceries unless they are on sale.

But to the extent that they have always been frugal, they will now be forced to be even more frugal, Bruns said. That’s because their coverage under the health law enacted under former President Barack Obama Getting more expensive — and for worse coverage.

This year, the Bruins were paying $2 a month for the top-tier gold-tier plan with a $4,000 deductible. His income was so low that it helped him get a lot of financial assistance.

But in 2026, that same plan is rising to an unaffordable $1,600 per month, forcing them to downgrade to a bronze plan with a $15,000 deductible.

Kelly Bruns said she’s worried that if something happens to her health in the next year, she could go bankrupt. While their monthly fees are about $25 less, their new out-of-pocket maximum of $21,000 is almost half their combined income.

“We have to pray that we won’t have to undergo surgery or have any medical procedure that we don’t know about,” he said. “It would be very devastating.”

Family facing higher costs prepares to go without insurance

Dave Roof’s family of four has been on ACA insurance since the program began in 2014. At that time, access to insurance on the market 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 as a top seller on Etsy.

The coverage has worked for them so far, even when emergencies arise. atv Last year his 21-year-old daughter met with an accident.

But now, with the end of subsidies that kept his premiums low, 53-year-old Roof said his $500-a-month insurance plan is costing at least $700 a month, plus deductibles and out-of-pocket costs are rising.

With their combined income of about $75,000 a year, the increase isn’t manageable, he said. So, they plan to go without health insurance for the next year, paying cash for prescriptions, checkups and whatever else arises.

Roof said his family is already living cheaply and hasn’t taken a vacation together since 2021. Anyway, they don’t save the money or add it to their retirement accounts. So even though giving up insurance is stressful, that’s what they should do.

“It’s really hard to measure the fear and anxiety this is going to cause my wife and I,” Roof said. “But we can’t pay for something we can’t pay for.”

Single mom pushes for her January budget in hopes Congress will act soon

If you ask Caitlin Provost, the American middle class has gone from experiencing a squeeze to “complete suffocation.”

The 37-year-old social worker in Henderson, Nevada counts herself in that category. As a single mom, she already has a limited budget for housing, groceries, and day care for her 4-year-old daughter.

Next year, it’s going to be even more difficult.

The monthly fee on her plan is rising from $85 to nearly $750. She decided she would pay that higher cost for January and reevaluate later, depending on whether lawmakers extend the subsidies, which appears unlikely so far. He hopes they will.

If Congress does not act, she will drop health insurance herself and keep it only for her daughter because she cannot afford the high fees for both of them in the long run.

One month’s stress is enough to have an impact.

“I have to re-prioritize over the next few months to rebalance that budget,” the provost said. “Christmas will be very short.”