While Wall Street Rakes in Massive Gains, Main Street Bears the Brunt of the Trump-GOP Premium Disaster
Ahead of Small Business Saturday, Protect Our Care is highlighting some of the small businesses that are being pummeled by the Trump-GOP premium disaster. Donald Trump and congressional Republicans ripped away tax credits that over 5 million small business owners rely on for affordable insurance — all to fund another GOP billionaire and big corporation tax break. Now, millions of hard-working Americans are logging onto the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace for open enrollment, finding that their health plans are more than double last year’s, and are making gut-wrenching decisions. Coverage depicts the toll on real people: Business owners, like Brie from Alaska, are considering ending what they spent blood, sweat, and tears building, because the Trump-GOP premium disaster is simply unbearable. Family farmers, like Justin from California, are petrified of a mass exodus of team members, because the Trump-GOP premium disaster is making it impossible for everyday people to buy insurance on their own.
Small business owners deserve to know who is being screwed over by Donald Trump and congressional Republicans, and Protect Our Care will continue to tell their stories. Our new report unearths the budget-busting Republican premium hikes in 46 states. The following 25 haunting accounts come from the nation’s everyday entrepreneurs — those whom Trump and Republicans put on the chopping block to fund another GOP billionaire and big corporation tax break.
Brie Loidolt, Owner of Custom Accounting Services, Anchorage, Alaska
- “Congress is “just punishing us for being small-business owners,” said Loidolt, who has weighed closing her business in response to the rise in health insurance costs. […] Without the extension of the subsidies, she’ll be paying more per month for her health insurance than she spends on her mortgage. ‘Who can afford to live when 30% of everything you bring in just pays for insurance and deductible?’ Loidolt said.”
- “Given rising health care costs, Loidolt said she is considering shutting down her business, laying off her employees and ending the accounting services she provides to roughly 40 small businesses.” [Anchorage Daily News]
Justin Miller, Founder of Twin Peaks Orchards, California
- “Most of the roughly 20 employees who work on Justin Miller’s 113-year-old family fruit farm in rural Northern California purchase coverage through the Obamacare marketplace. He’s agonizing over what it could mean if health insurance through the marketplace becomes unaffordable for his employees. He fears they might consider leaving his farm for a job that comes with health coverage.”
- “‘Being a small-business owner, especially in a field like ours, where it is tough work and we really understand how hard everybody works, we have to look everybody in the eyes every day,’ Miller said. ‘Knowing that they’re going to have to pay $4,000 or $5,000 more a year to stay on their insurance is a tough pill to swallow.’” [Fortune]
Mark Robokoff, Owner of AK Bark, Anchorage, Alaska
- “’I need my government, specifically my congressional delegation, to speak for me concerning the levers of power in this country, and I feel absolutely abandoned,’ said Mark Robokoff, who owns a pet supply shop in Anchorage and is staring down a more than 300% increase in the cost of insurance. ‘This will pull the rug out from under me,’ said Robokoff. ‘I thought I was doing the things that a society wants its members to do — create new businesses, create new jobs, improve the life of the surrounding community.’”
- “‘It’s an entirely new calculus. Everything is going to have to be looked at, from the prices I pay for merchandise, the quality that I try to stock, the amount that I pay my employees to keep the best ones — every single aspect of the store is going to have to be re-examined,’ he said.” [Anchorage Daily News]
Wesley Hartman, Founder of Automata Practice Development, Chatsworth, California
- “While they can afford the increase, he said, the extra cost will come at a sacrifice to his startup information technology business, which he launched a few years ago. ‘I won’t be able to do things like expand my business more, or potentially hire or purchase software that can help me continue to grow my business,’ Hartman said. He described feeling a mix of frustration and resignation the day he got the letter. ‘The saying is that America is run by small businesses, right?’ Hartman said. ‘So we’re one of them and just trying to build that. It really feels like there’s nothing I can do about it.’” [NBC News]
Chelsey Baker-Hauck, Owner of CBH Brand Strategy, Denver, Colorado
- “‘Covering $700 a month would be a hardship. A thousand dollars is almost as much as my mortgage. $1,400 is more than my mortgage. I just wanna cry, honestly,’ Baker-Hauck said.”
- “‘I mean, I don’t know how anybody could make that work. I’ve made it work this far by borrowing from savings. Savings is now gone,’ said Baker-Hauck, who noted she and her husband are considering what to do next. ‘We have credit card debt now, which we haven’t had in 20 years. We’re talking about getting a (home equity line of credit) on our house to pay for some of this,’ she said. ‘But honestly, I don’t know how we could pay that off. So I don’t know that that’s really a viable option. I don’t know. I don’t know. I’m stuck.’” [Colorado Public Radio]
D’nelle Dowis, Founder of Berry Interesting Products, Denver, Colorado
- “Dowis and her husband, Christopher, plan to drop their ACA coverage for next year and put that money into a high-yield savings account.”
- “‘We’d be cutting down on other things that I see as necessities, and I’m not sure if, at this point in my 40s, I’m necessarily willing to do that or not,’ Dowis said. Both she and her husband are healthy, which makes going without coverage feel manageable for now.” [NBC News]
Mercedes Von Pichl, Co-owner of DVP Music Studios, Commerce City, Colorado
- “She said the new premium will ‘barely’ be manageable, but, ‘I don’t really want to gamble [on] not having health insurance. I mean, we’ll have to make it work.’”
- “‘We are small business owners and have to provide health insurance for ourselves and our family out of pocket,’ Von Pichl said. ‘And before the Affordable Care Act, we were not able to afford insurance and that was without kids, so it’s been a lifeline.’” [KUNC]
Ashleigh Tucker, Managing Partner of 4Corners Riversports, Durango, Colorado
- “Ashleigh Tucker is managing partner of 4Corners Riversports, a shop that sells kayaks and runs a paddle school in Durango, Colorado. It employs between 15 and 40 people depending on the season, and all of them are on Obamacare, she said. Tucker was one of scores of small-business owners who wrote a letter to Congress asking that they extend the increased subsidies.”
- “‘It’s already really expensive to live here, and having a premium that doubles is just not going to be doable for a lot of people,’ she said. ‘They just won’t have insurance.’” [Washington Post]
Deb Dauphinais, Co-owner, Bicycle East, Glastonbury, Connecticut
- “Those subsidies are set to expire at the end of the year, at which time the Dauphinais’ insurance premiums would increase four-fold. ‘It’s scary, it’s not something that I ever thought we’d ever be in a position to have to do,’ Deb Dauphinais said about the prospect of not having insurance.” [NBC Connecticut]
Brady Reiter, Founder of Renegade Lemonade, Dallas, Georgia
- “He posted on social media saying the same health insurance plan for his family of five is going up by more than $2,000 a month. Reiter is worried this will force him or his wife to return to their former jobs. ‘We left those to run this, and now we’re figuring if one of us has to go back to get insurance because I don’t know how we’d both be in this and pay a couple thousand dollars a month for insurance. It’s just not something we can do,’ he said.” [WSB-TV]
Jessica Kazaniwskyj, Founder of Rise Beyond Your Roots, Chicago, Illinois
- “Currently, their insurance costs them $2,000 a month. ‘We just got a letter saying it would be $4,000, yeah, would be our new premium,’ Kazaniwskyj said. ‘So that’s double, yeah, double. That’s not sustainable. That’s not sustainable for anybody.’” [ABC 7]
Beth Hoffman, Owner of Whippoorwill Creek Farm, Lovilia, Iowa
- “Because Hoffman and her partner operate a small business and do freelance work, they rely on the Affordable Care Act Marketplace to buy health insurance. They currently pay about $200 a month for a bronze plan that’s not great, she said.”
- “The couple earns close to 400% of the federal poverty level. If they go over that mark with the end of the federal enhanced ACA tax credits, this year, they will fall off a steep income cliff.” [Iowa Public Radio]
Meg Heriford, Owner of the Ladybird Diner, Lawrence, Kansas
- “Back in Lawrence, health insurance costs for Heriford and her husband will quadruple, she said. She used to pay $219 per month, but when she logged on to enroll for next year, she saw her premium would be $890.”
- “She said as a small business owner, tax subsidies offered through the marketplace help make health insurance a possibility for her.”
- “‘I run on hope. And I think a lot of people in my position are probably thinking the same thing, which is, maybe someone will hear us,’ she said.” [KCUR]
Andrew Volk, Owner of Hunt & Alpine Club, Portland, Maine
- “With that change, Volk at 29 years old was able to afford insurance, eliminating at least one of the many risks with opening a small business, he said. ‘I don’t think I would have opened the business without it,’ Volk said of the marketplace. Shortly after the bar opened, Volk’s now-ex wife gave birth to their daughter, a process that ended up being complicated. If they hadn’t had insurance through the marketplace, Volk said, ‘I don’t think the business would have made it past its first year.’” [Maine Morning Star]
Chelsea Avirett, Founder of Skip, 45, Rockland, Maine
- “Chelsea Avirett, 45, of Rockland, said her ACA plan, which covers herself and her husband, is set to increase from about $1,100 per month to $1,500 if the credits aren’t extended.”
- “‘That will be more than our mortgage payment, so it’s a bit appalling,’ said Avirett, who is self-employed and runs an online job board. ‘It’s really challenging for small business owners who don’t have any other options for health insurance.’” [Central Maine]
Emily Ingwersen, Founder of Ginger Hill Design + Build, Arundel, Maine
- “‘It’s pretty scary no matter how you slice it,’ she said of weighing the risks of a plan with less coverage or taking on the higher expense.”
- “Based on an estimate provided by her insurance portal, she will be paying $2,600 per month next year to maintain the same level of coverage. That change amounts to about a 117% increase. ‘It’s more than our mortgage,’ Ingwersen said of the new anticipated cost.” [Maine Morning Star]
John Costin, Owner of John Costin Studio, Sanford, Maine
- “Costin, a small business owner in Sanford, said the tax credits make a huge difference for him and his wife. Without them, he estimates their premium and out-of-pocket costs will increase by $25,000 next year. ‘That’s not doable on our income.’” [News Center Maine]
Khadija B. Wallace, Owner of Joyful Treats Catering, Ypsilanti, Michigan
- “The subsidy ‘does make a big difference,’ said Wallace, 54, who also leads a nonprofit that helps young people start businesses. ‘We’re working people—I work seven days a week for the most part. We just need to let them know that we’re going to be affected and that there needs to be something there to assist us.’” [Wall Street Journal]
Gladys Harrison, Owner of Big Mama’s Kitchen and Catering, North Omaha, Nebraska
- “Running a business means work doesn’t stop for owner Gladys Harrison at Big Mama’s Kitchen and Catering in North Omaha, it also means she’s on her own for health insurance. Harrison is covered through the Affordable Care Act and tax credits make her premiums manageable.”
- “‘I need those tax credits to be able to afford insurance so that I can go and be seen by a doctor when I need to be seen,’ Harrison said.” [WOWT]
Nance L. Schick, 56, Founder of Third Ear Conflict Resolution, Norfolk, New York
- “‘I’m quite frustrated — I’ve worked regularly since I was old enough to get a work permit,’ said Nance L. Schick, 56, a New York employment attorney and workplace mediator living in Norfolk who expects her business to generate about $60,000 this year. Without any Obamacare subsidy, she’d have to pay $12,000 a year for insurance, a substantial portion of her personal income. ‘I also have to have a place to live.’” [Washington Post]
Daniel Ayers, Founder of the Hometown Holler, Burlington, North Carolina
- “He credits the ability to afford coverage in the marketplace with changing his life back in the spring of 2023. ‘I got injured. I needed knee surgery and without the coverage I got through the ACA, I would not have been able to afford that care,’ Ayers said. Ayers said as a small business owner, he would have been forced to delay treatment without coverage, possibly until the situation was much worse and required more invasive surgery.”
- “On Monday, Ayers allowed himself to open up the healthcare.gov portal to take a look at what his 2026 premiums would be. ‘To put it bluntly, I was stunned,’ Ayers said. ‘The cost has gone up so much, now I do have to face it. Will I go without insurance next year? Just hoping I don’t get sick or injured.’” [NC Newsline]
Megan Read, Owner of Megan Read Photography, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- “For small business owners like Megan Read, the increase is significant. The Philadelphia-based wedding photographer said her monthly premium is rising from about $230 to nearly $400.”
- “Read, who has an autoimmune disease, said she may have to give up dental and vision coverage to afford her new premium.”
- “‘My health care is more than a car payment at this point, which is crazy,’ Read said. ‘It makes you think twice about what you’re spending money on. Not only as a small business owner, but as an individual trying to survive in this economy.’” [CBS Philadelphia]
Stacy Cox, Owner of Stacy Cox Photography, Kanab, Utah
- “Stacy Cox used one word repeatedly as she described how she felt after learning her ACA premium could jump over 300% without the enhanced tax credits: ‘devastating.’ ‘I don’t know if I’ve ever cried opening a letter from an insurance or before, but it happened this time,’ she told ABC News.”
- “Cox’s premium this year has been $495.32 for coverage for her and her husband. Without the credit in 2026, she was informed that it’s increasing to $2,168.68. ‘It’s devastating because we can’t afford that,’ she said. ‘Just that bill right there, that’s more than our mortgage, our insurance, most of our food. That’s what we’re paying per month to live. We can’t afford to double what it costs for us to live just to have health insurance.’” [ABC News]
Lester Johnson, Owner of Mama J’s Restaurant, Richmond, Virginia
- “‘It’s a lot of gamesmanship, and the people are like the pawns,’ said Lester Johnson, who with his wife, Yolanda, owns and run Mama J’s, an established Southern cooking and soul food restaurant in Richmond.”
- “‘It’s a lot of money for people,’ Johnson said — and not knowing what the price is going to be because of the stalemate in Congress adds uncertainty. ‘I think everybody’s feeling the anxiety.’” [Washington Post]
Dan Jacobs, Owner of the DanDan and EsterEv Restaurants, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- “Jacobs—who has a pre-existing condition called Kennedy’s Disease—said if the subsidies expire at the end of the year, he could either become uninsurable or the cost would be so high he’d drop his own health coverage. ‘I go to the ALS clinic once or twice a year,’ Jacobs said. ‘I see a general practitioner once a year—at least once a year—if not twice… I have to have this extra coverage just in case something happens. Like I am prone to falling. If I fall and I break something, I’ve gotta have that stability of insurance there.’ […] ‘This is so incredibly shortsighted and feels so much like chaos for the pure sake of creating chaos,’ he said”
- “Jacobs said his biggest fear is losing a chunk of his team members, who might need to leave his restaurants to find employers who provide more affordable health care. And if prices skyrocket, he won’t be able to subsidize as much of the cost of insurance for the employees who do stay. […] ‘I don’t think I’m alone here. I think you’re going to see small businesses closing, and this is what makes Milwaukee and the greater state of Wisconsin special are our small businesses,’ Jacobs said. ‘And you lose something like this, and I think you’re going to lose what makes us so special, and I think that, to me, is the biggest loss of all.’” [Spectrum News]