Republicans Just Shut Down Government to Raise Kansans’ Health Care Costs
Originally Published in the Kansas City Star - Click here to see the original article.
Anne Parelkar - Democratic Candidate for U.S. Senate, Kansas 2026
If you’ve bought coffee lately, you already know Republicans in Washington are raising your prices. What you may not know is that they just shut down the government so they can raise your health care premiums too.
While families across Kansas are already struggling with higher grocery bills, housing costs, and everyday expenses, congressional Republicans have decided to manufacture another crisis. Their government shutdown isn’t just about dysfunction; it’s about money. Your money.
Rather than work with Democrats to keep the government open and health care premiums down, they are shutting down the government and letting the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium subsidies expire at the end of this year. If they succeed, premiums for more than 20 million Americans will spike, doubling on average, with Kansas families paying over a thousand dollars more each year.
These subsidies were first enacted in 2021 to make health insurance more affordable, and extended through 2025 by the Inflation Reduction Act. They have been remarkably effective. Since they were introduced, enrollment in ACA marketplace plans has more than doubled, from roughly 11 million to over 24 million Americans. The vast majority of those enrollees receive the enhanced subsidy, which caps the share of income they must pay for coverage and fills in the rest with a federal tax credit. Because of that assistance, the average person with subsidized coverage currently pays about $888 a year in premiums. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, if the subsidies disappear, that figure would jump to $1,904 in 2026, a 114 percent increase.
The impact on Kansas families would be even more painful. A family of four earning $75,000 would see their annual premium bill jump by more than $3,000. A family earning $90,000 would pay nearly $3,800 more. Older Kansans and families in rural counties, where insurance premiums are already higher because of limited competition, could be hit hardest. For example, a 60-year-old couple making $85,000 could see their annual health insurance costs rise by more than $22,000 in a single year. These are not abstract numbers. This is money that comes directly out of struggling families’ budgets, money that could otherwise go toward groceries, gas, or childcare.
This isn’t an accident or an oversight. It is a deliberate political choice. Republicans are holding these subsidies hostage to unrelated partisan demands, using a government shutdown as leverage to dismantle a program that millions of working and middle class families rely on. They know exactly what will happen if the subsidies expire. They know premiums will soar. And they’re counting on the fact that most people won’t notice who’s responsible for the hike.
The enhanced subsidies have been a lifeline for moderate-income families who previously earned too much to qualify for help but couldn’t actually afford unsubsidized premiums. Without the enhanced credits, the average Kansas family would pay between $1,200 and $1,400 more per year, with many families facing several thousand dollars in new costs overnight. Some would be forced to drop coverage entirely.
Republicans will try to dress this up as fiscal responsibility. They’ll say they’re cutting spending and reining in government. But what they’re really doing is shifting costs onto you. They’re raising your health care bills so they can score political points. They are more than willing to subsidize oil companies and protect tax breaks for billionaires, but when it comes to helping Kansas families keep their health insurance affordable, suddenly the belt tightens.
This fight isn’t about partisan bickering. It’s about whether working families can afford to keep their coverage. It’s about whether Congress will protect the middle class or squeeze it. If Republicans get their way, premiums will skyrocket, family budgets will buckle, and millions could lose coverage. All because empty suits in Washington decided your health care was a bargaining chip.
Kansans deserve better than that.
SOURCE: https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/aca-marketplace-premium-payments-would-more-than-double-on-average-next-year-if-enhanced-premium-tax-credits-expire/