Trump and Republicans created a health care crisis and stuck Americans with the bill. Premiums are skyrocketing after they passed the largest cut to Medicaid in history and took away Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits from working families to give tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations. Even Trump’s tariffs are driving up health care costs across the country.
Now, with each passing day, more working families are paying more, losing coverage, and struggling to access lifesaving care — and it’s only going to get worse, even for families with employer-based insurance. When millions are pushed off life-saving coverage and have to resort to the emergency room for expensive care, the burden of uncompensated health care skyrockets, and costs spike for everyone. New reports show that health care costs are projected to rise by double digits again in 2027 for employer health plans and ACA plans alike, which nearly 200 million people across the country rely on to access health care. For families already stretched thin, a routine checkup or a bout with the flu could now mean a choice between medicine and rent. But that’s the choice Republicans are forcing them to make, and hard-working Americans are sick of it.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Trump and Republicans are ripping health care away from over 15 million Americans, including seniors, children, veterans, and people with disabilities, leading to higher bills and increased premiums for everyone.
- This year, health care premiums increased by an average of 25% for all Americans.
- The 165+ million people with employer-sponsored health insurance are staring down a double-digit cost hike for 2027, with employers projecting health plan costs to rise 11.1% next year.
- For over 22 million people, health care premiums more than doubled on average in 2026 after Trump and Republicans in Congress ripped away tax credits from working families who relied on the ACA to purchase affordable health care coverage.
- Trump and Republicans are forcing over 5 million people into medical debt by causing families who lose their coverage to take on an average of $22,280 in medical debt when they previously had none.
- Since the passage of Trump and Republicans’ massive tax law, over 1,100 health care facilities are at-risk of cuts or closure, are closing, or have closed. As rural hospitals close, families could be forced to pay an average of $500 more per hospital stay at the nearby facilities that remain open.
THE TRUMP-GOP PREMIUM DISASTER
- Everyone Pays the Price For Trump and Republicans’ Health Care Crisis. Trump and Republicans are ripping health care away from over 15 million Americans, including seniors, children, veterans, and people with disabilities. Already, roughly 8 million Americans have lost coverage through Medicaid/CHIP or dropped ACA health care plans. More uninsured patients means higher bills and increased premiums for everyone as health care providers, unable to absorb the spike in uncompensated care costs, pass on costs to patients who do have coverage. Even families with job-based health insurance will see higher prices at hospitals, higher premiums, and higher out-of-pocket costs.
- Hospital Closures Raise Costs for Everyone. Since the passage of Trump and Republicans’ massive tax law, over 1,100 health care facilities are at-risk of cuts or closure, are closing, or have closed. More facilities will face dire circumstances as the law continues to take effect, filling up the waiting rooms of the facilities that remain open and reducing access to care. When rural hospitals close, families may also be forced to pay an average of $500 more per hospital stay at the nearby facilities that remain open.
- Americans Are Already Paying Higher Premiums This Year. This year, health care premiums increased by an average of 25 percent for all Americans. Fewer than half of Americans now say they can consistently afford health care, according to June 2026 Gallup polling.
- Over 22 Million People Paying Doubled, Tripled, and Even Quadrupled Premiums. Instead of protecting working families, Trump and Republicans prioritized tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations — triggering premium hikes that are doubling, tripling, and even quadrupling costs for 22 million people. Each day of open enrollment, millions were forced to make gut-wrenching decisions about their futures. A Georgia mom closed her small business to afford her son’s insulin. A Texas retiree cut his budget down to the bare bones to afford his premium until he qualifies for Medicare. A Louisiana woman was forced to finish out her high-risk pregnancy without coverage at all.
- Employer-Based Coverage Premiums Are Soaring, Too. Every American will feel the effects of the Republican war on health care — even families who receive coverage through their employers. This year, employer-sponsored plans saw premiums rise by nearly double-digits, more than three times the rate of inflation. Some 60% of Americans, roughly 150 million people, are insured through their employers. As Republicans’ health care cuts kick millions off coverage, health systems are bearing the burden of uncompensated care, which will likely shift billions of dollars in additional costs to people with employer-based health insurance. Already, millions of small businesses facing sky-high plan costs are giving up entirely on offering health insurance to employees.
- Over 22 Million People Paying Doubled, Tripled, and Even Quadrupled Premiums. Instead of protecting working families, Trump and Republicans prioritized tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations — triggering premium hikes that are doubling, tripling, and even quadrupling costs for 22 million people. Each day of open enrollment, millions were forced to make gut-wrenching decisions about their futures. A Georgia mom closed her small business to afford her son’s insulin. A Texas retiree cut his budget down to the bare bones to afford his premium until he qualifies for Medicare. A Louisiana woman was forced to finish out her high-risk pregnancy without coverage at all.
- Americans Will Pay Even Higher Premiums Next Year. According to new reports by Aon and WTW, employers expect health care costs to go up by 11.1 percent for 2027 after increasing 10 percent in 2026, meaning that after just two years of Trump and Republicans in charge, health care costs for employer-sponsored health plans will have gone up more than 20 percent. 165 million people were enrolled in employer-sponsored health care plans in 2025, making employer plans the largest source of health care coverage in the country. Meanwhile, health care premiums are expected to go up another 15 percent in 2027 on average for the roughly 19 million people still currently enrolled in ACA plans.
- Millions Were Priced Out of the Coverage They Needed and Now Have to Rely on Reduced Coverage That Won’t Cover Them When They Get Sick. Skyrocketing premiums have forced millions out of high-quality coverage and into bare-bones coverage with high deductibles and steep out-of-pocket costs. These bronze plans expose families to thousands in medical bills before coverage begins, leaving them vulnerable to debt if they face a serious illness or accident. In California, 73 percent of people who switched plans moved to such a plan. In Maine, bronze plan selections now make up 60 percent of plan selections. Idaho, New Jersey, and Rhode Island also reported an increase in bronze plan selections.