On Thursday, September 11, the healthcare consumer advocacy group, Families USA, facilitated a press conference with Florida Voices for Health, Georgians for a Healthy Future, and West Virginians for Affordable Healthcare, discussing the recent federal budget cuts to healthcare and their impact on working families in Florida, Georgia, and West Virginia.
Anthony Wright, Executive Director of Families USA, started by mentioning the massive spikes in premiums that are coming at the end of the year, unless Congress reverses its current course. “Over the last several weeks,” Wright said, “we have seen eye-popping premium announcements that are alarming for those who buy coverage as individuals or as families. In recent years, we've seen a string of single-digit rate percentage increases, but next year, the percentage increase for premiums is up by double digits, an average of 18 percent across the country….Many healthcare consumers will feel a double whammy: the premiums are rising and the tax credits that would have shielded them from these hikes…are being reduced or expiring altogether….Many who are older or in higher cost areas like rural America will not just pay hundreds more, but 1000s of dollars more for coverage.”
Wright highlighted that Congress consistently rejected proposed amendments aimed at preventing cost spikes and making these tax credits permanent. Furthermore, he noted that the Budget Bill, along with the Trump administration's actions on the so-called marketplace integrity rule, also complicates obtaining and maintaining coverage by removing automatic renewals, halving the open enrollment period, and implementing other changes.
Ellen Allen with West Virginians for Affordable Healthcare, mentioned that the high cost of healthcare reflects the state's rural status. “We have some of the highest prices in the entire country, and we have over 67,000 West Virginians enrolled in the ACA (Affordable Care Act)….Ninety-two percent of those West Virginians receive tax credits.” The renewal of tax credits will be crucial for West Virginians, Allen underscored.
Scott Darius, Executive Director of Florida Voices for Health, expressed concerns that Florida's uninsured rate would nearly double, considering that an estimated 1.4 million Floridians will be priced out of coverage. “I think the increase in the base premium rate is being driven in large part by the non-extension of these tax credits and other changes at the federal level.”
Whitney Briggs, Director of Health Policy for Georgians for a Healthy Future, mentioned that the stakes are especially high for Georgia. “In 2025, Georgia operated its own state-based marketplace called Georgia Access,” Briggs explained. “For the first time, more than 1.5 million Georgians signed up for coverage through Georgia Access, making it the second-largest state-based marketplace in the country. And over 90 percent of Georgia Access enrollees rely on premium tax credits to make their insurance more affordable.”
“Affordable coverage means that people can see a doctor, manage chronic conditions, and get preventive care without risking financial ruin. If costs soar and coverage slips away, the consequences will ripple through every part of our state at almost every income level,” Briggs cautioned.
“When Congress passed its budget bill, they extended trillions in tax cuts for the wealthy corporations, but they neglected to extend these tax credits to help working-class people afford healthcare coverage,” Wright said. “Consumers should call on Congress to extend these tax credits ASAP,” he advised. “Congress can and should work toward an actual affordability agenda for a healthcare system by addressing the drivers of high healthcare costs, from hospital consolidation to anti-competitive contract prescription drug prices at home. Our advice is for consumers to be smart shoppers, but also active advocates for affordability.”
