After Congressional Republicans ripped away the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits that helped over 22 million Americans afford health care coverage, hard-working families across the country are staring down the barrel of skyrocketing premiums. According to a new poll from KFF, one in ten Americans who had 2025 ACA coverage is now going uninsured, while 17 percent of those with coverage are worried they will not be able to afford coverage for all of 2026. Families are being forced to cut back on essentials, delay critical care, or take on medical debt just to get by, highlighting the real and growing consequences of Republican health care cuts for millions of Americans. Now, the poll found, affordability concerns are hitting home as the midterm elections approach, making health care a top issue for voters nationwide.
KFF Health News: Many ACA Customers Are Paying Higher Premiums. Most Blame Trump and Republicans, Poll Finds.
- “Now, the new poll found, affordability issues are hitting home as the midterm election approaches. And that might play a role in competitive districts, creating headwinds for Republicans.”
MS Now: Report: Majority of ACA Enrollees Are Cutting Back on Food to Afford Health Insurance
- “More than half (55%) have cut spending on food or other basic household expenses just to keep their coverage. And roughly 1 in 10 have dropped their marketplace plan altogether and are now uninsured, according to a new KFF survey of marketplace enrollees released Thursday. The findings arrive as health care costs have emerged as a defining issue heading into the midterm elections — one that Democrats are betting will drive voters to the polls.”
Wall Street Journal: Millions of Americans Are Going Uninsured Following Expiration of ACA Subsidies
- “The higher healthcare costs have forced many ACA policyholders to make hard choices at a time when grocery and gas prices are also rising.”
- “‘Not only is there significant coverage loss, but there could be more to come,’ said Cynthia Cox, a senior vice president at KFF.”
- “Among all survey respondents who still had ACA plans, 4% had yet to make a premium payment this year. More than half said they were cutting back spending on food, clothing or basic household items to afford healthcare. The ACA changes, which were the subject of a political battle that led to the longest-ever government shutdown last year, are likely to become a flashpoint again in this fall’s midterm elections.”
Fortune: ‘Sometimes I Don’t Even Take My Medicine’: Americans Are Choosing Between Insulin and Buying Gas Following Trump’s ACA Cuts
- “Lately, Priscilla Brown has had to choose between properly managing her Type 2 diabetes and affording other necessities, like gas in her car. Some days, she takes half or a third of her prescribed insulin dose — just to stretch it out longer. ‘Sometimes I don’t even take my medicine,’ said the 48-year-old truck dispatcher in Orlando, Florida. “It’s so much with insurance, it’s crazy.”
- “About 8 in 10 Americans, like Brown, who re-enrolled in Affordable Care Act marketplace coverage say their health care costs are higher this year, including about half who say their costs are ‘a lot’ higher, according to a new survey from the health care research nonprofit KFF. A main reason for increased costs was the Dec. 31 expiration of enhanced tax credits that had offset premiums for most enrollees.”
ABC News: 1 in 10 ACA Enrollees Dropped Their Coverage Due to Rising Health Care Costs: Poll
- “Meanwhile, 9% of Marketplace enrollees dropped their ACA coverage and are currently uninsured. When asked why they decided to drop or change their coverage, most respondents said costs were the driving factor.”
- “The survey found that even those who re-enrolled in the ACA Marketplace may need to rework their household budgets. More than half, or 55%, said they need to cut spending on food or other basic household expenses to afford their health care costs.”
Politico Pulse: Obamacare Pulse Check
- “Democrats are now looking to capitalize on the issue in the upcoming midterm elections. At least half of returning Obamacare customers who saw higher costs this year place ‘a lot’ of blame for the increase on congressional Republicans, President Donald Trump or pharmaceutical companies, according to the poll. About 70 percent said they blame insurance companies ‘a lot.’”