Name: Millions of Americans brace for higher health insurance costs
Uploaded: 2025-11-03T18:26:43.364Z
Duration: 2 min 48 s
Description: Millions of Americans are bracing for higher health insurance costs as open enrollment begins and Affordable Care Act subsidies are set to expire. Cynthia Cox, the vice president and director of the Affordable Care Act program at KFF, joins with more details.

Millions of Americans are bracing for higher health insurance costs as open enrollment begins and Affordable Care Act subsidies are set to expire. Cynthia Cox, the vice president and director of the Affordable Care Act program at KFF, joins with more details.

Washington

Millions of Americans who purchase health insurance through Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces are expected to see significant cost increases as enhanced federal subsidies are set to expire. According to Cynthia Cox of KFF, premiums for these individuals could more than double, affecting about 22 million people who currently receive tax credits.

The expiration of these subsidies is a key issue in the ongoing government shutdown. If not extended, it is estimated that around 4 million more people could become uninsured. Individuals are encouraged to explore lower-cost plans or consult insurance agents to find affordable options, though these may come with higher deductibles.

Millions of Americans brace for higher health insurance costs

Americans are bracing for their insurance costs to rise as open enrollment begins for next year's health care coverage. It's an issue at the center of the government shutdown. Subsidies for the Affordable Care Act are set to expire this year. I want to bring in Cynthia Cox. She is the vice president and director of the Affordable Care Act program at KFF. Thanks so much for joining us, Cynthia. So explain how these, or how much, rather, these health care insurance costs will go up and what it means for the average American. So for people who are getting their health insurance through healthcare.gov or another kind of ACA or Obamacare marketplace, they're looking at their costs going up by more than double next year, and that's because they're going to be getting less financial help. Now, this is going to affect about 22 million people who get a tax credit now. Some of them will still get a tax credit next year, but as many have probably heard, the government right now has shut down over this debate about whether or not to extend these kind of extra or enhanced tax credits that many of them get. And so if they expire at the end of this year, which is looking likely, then, you know, people's costs are going to go up quite a bit, more than doubling on average. Now, this does only affect the people who are getting their health coverage through the Obamacare markets. If you're getting health coverage through work, you might see your costs go up, too. But that's unrelated to this. I mean, we're just seeing that private health insurance costs in general are going up a lot next year, too. All right. So, Cynthia, what are some other healthcare options for people who can no longer afford their insurance? So for people who are getting coverage through the ACA marketplaces right now, we are expecting that unfortunately about 4 million more people will be uninsured if these enhanced premium tax credits expire. But people need to consider their other options, too. For example, you might see that your costs for your plan are going up quite a bit. But if you switch to a lower cost option or a lower premium option, say a bronze plan, you might be able to save money on your premium. You would have a much higher deductible. But it's usually better to have, you know, even if you are in a high deductible plan, that's usually better than being uninsured where you just have, you know, complete liability for any healthcare costs that you might incur. People should also talk to agents and brokers who are there to help you figure out your insurance options. And I would suggest making that appointment sooner rather than later because these folks are going to be very busy this year, as I think a lot of people are going to be needing help figuring out their options. Yeah. Indeed. Cynthia Cox, thank you so much for joining us and breaking it down. We appreciate you.

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