As Donald Trump continues to try to gaslight the American people over the state of the economy, millions of hard-working families are being forced to confront a far harsher reality: the basic costs of living are spiraling further out of reach. Nowhere is that pain clearer than in health care. Nearly 22 million Americans are facing devastating premium hikes after Trump and Republicans ripped away the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits that kept coverage affordable. Millions of Americans are at risk of losing Medicaid coverage after Republicans slashed over $1 trillion from Medicaid and the ACA. Families across the country are being forced to make impossible choices — taking on extra jobs, draining savings, going into debt, or even giving up coverage altogether just to keep up. Rachel from Maine says she is “terrified of a major accident, or even just a diagnosis.” Laura from Texas recounts thinking she would need to take out a loan to pay for her premiums.
The following 10 accounts — along with the over 200 collected testimonies — come from hard-working Americans that the GOP decided to abandon to bankroll their tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations.
Arizona
Kate Bivona, Tempe
- “‘We just don’t have that kind of cash,’ said Bivona, 37, a violinist and violin teacher. ‘We get by, but we weren’t suddenly ready for a large increase like that.’”
- “It would be hard for them to recover from a big medical bill, she said. They have a joint income of about $50,000 a year. ‘If we have to go to the hospital or something, we’d be taking on debt for years to pay that off,’ she said.”
- “‘It feels like we’re getting squeezed in all these different directions,’ she said. ‘Groceries are more expensive; gas is more expensive; I’m paying interest on my student loans again. All these different things compound.’ ‘When you’re making a certain amount, you can’t get ahead ever,’ she said. ‘There is a constant feeling of instability.’” [CNBC]
Colorado
CJ Richey
- “‘It’s frightening to think that I have to ration healthcare,’ Richey said. ‘It’s very scary.’”
- “‘I just don’t know what to do,’ Richey said. ‘I’m 60 years old, and I don’t have an employee-sponsored healthcare plan. I don’t have a spouse. Do I just wait it out for five years until I qualify for Medicare? It’s just getting worse and worse.’” [Business Insider]
Georgia
Nancy Linder, Atlanta
- “Linder, a former teacher, doesn’t work anymore due to a host of medical issues — including treatment for a brain tumor and its effects, and Parkinsonism, a neurological disorder that causes Parkinson’s-like symptoms.”
- “‘I have to have health insurance,’ she said. ‘I’m expensive,’ she said. ‘I had to make sure we had a really good health insurance plan.’”
- “The extra $321 a month the couple now puts toward health premiums will force them to live a leaner lifestyle, Nancy said.” [CNBC]
Illinois
Sheila Nesbit, Chicago
- “Sheila Nesbit, who recently retired after a long career as a librarian, is among those having to make tough choices. She didn’t realize that Medicare would cover less than her job-based insurance plan did. So when her doctor recommended new orthopedic shoe inserts costing roughly $250 to help with pain while walking, she decided not to buy them, and she’s also looking for discount cards to help her purchase a $90 medicine that Medicare doesn’t cover.”
- “What’s more, she sometimes skips lunch and doesn’t always take her medicines for cholesterol, asthma and high blood pressure so she can save money. And she’s lowered the thermostat at home, opting to put on a sweater and huddle under two blankets to ward off the cold. ‘I never thought I’d be living like this,’ said Nesbit, 65, who lives in the Chicago suburb of Park Forest.” [CNN]
Maine
Rachel Phipps, Kennebunk
- “At the start of this year, Rachel Phipps, a 64-year-old retired social worker, decided to forego her health insurance.”
- “‘We literally have no insurance. We’re terrified of a major accident, or even just a diagnosis,’ Phipps said. She already has a respiratory infection and precancerous skin cells she has to manage with topical chemotherapy. ‘If I need treatment, it’ll all have to come out of pocket,’ she added.” [Maine Morning Star]
Ohio
Robin Wright-Pierce, Cincinnati
- “‘Dropping our health insurance was a significant decision for us,’ she said. ‘It was not something we took lightly.’”
- “‘There should never be a point in time where the cost of being able to go see a doctor rivals your rent, your mortgage,’ Wright-Pierce said.”
- “‘The amount of juggling we have to do to just have insurance is not rational,’ she said.” [CNBC]
Pennsylvania
Philip Williams, East Stroudsburg
- “Meanwhile, small business owners like me are absorbing the damage. The ACA marketplace is how small business owners who can’t self-insure like large corporations can get coverage. When it becomes unaffordable, we all lose.”
- “I started this business to build something meaningful and create quality jobs in our community. But when health care costs spiral out of control, it makes everything harder. I’m stretched thin trying to cover my own family’s coverage. How can I offer benefits to employees when I’m struggling with the same broken system?” [The Well]
Texas
Laura Humphries, San Antonio
- “When Congress allowed those enhanced credits to expire at the end of last year, the couple’s premiums skyrocketed — to nearly $3,000. ‘We would have had to take out a small business loan to pay for the policy,’ said Laura Humphries, who works as a graphic designer.”
- “‘The amount of time that I’ve had to put into this this year, that would have been a very nice job to have been paid for,’ Laura Humphries said. ‘You get sent through a labyrinth of people with no real resolution when you finally get off the call. We feel like ping-pong balls sometimes.’ ‘I honestly don’t know what my daughter and I are going to do,’ Laura added. ‘It’s very stressful.’” [San Antonio Report]
Natalie Richards, Palestine
- “She skipped her January and February ADHD medications due to cost, which she said has been debilitating for her mental health. ‘It’s life or death,’ Richards said. ‘And beyond that, it’s quality of life.’”
- “Right now, Richards doesn’t see a way to keep her insurance. She does not qualify for Texas Medicaid, and she can no longer afford the marketplace. She said she’s searching for a job with employer-sponsored coverage and will likely avoid the doctor in the meantime. If she absolutely needs medical care, she will need to pay out of pocket. ‘The things I desperately need right now, I don’t have access to,’ she said.” [Business Insider]
Virginia
Denise Wales, Luray
- “As a 55-year-old cancer survivor, it’s just too risky for me to go without health insurance, so we have no alternative but to find the money to continue paying for it. The problem is that now, without the ACA subsidy, our insurance premiums have jumped 80% — from about $1,000 per month last year to $1,800 this year.” [Daily News Record]