Republicans Shut Down the Government and Kansas Families Will Pay
Original article published in the Topeka Capitol Journal. Click here to see go to the original article.
Anne Parelkar – Democratic Candidate for U.S. Senate, Kansas 2026
You probably already know the empty suits in Washington have shut down the government again. You've probably heard talking heads on television and YouTube talking all about polling numbers and “how this will play with voters,” as if power play politics is all that matters here.
Here is what you may not know: If Republicans in Washington get their way, your family’s health care premiums will skyrocket next year.
Despite what the talking heads may say, this isn’t about some abstract budget debate in Washington. It’s about whether Kansas families can afford to keep seeing their doctor. It’s about whether a mom in Topeka has to cancel her son’s check-up to cover the gas bill. It’s about whether a 60-year-old couple in rural Kansas can keep their insurance or face a sudden $22,000 hike they simply can’t pay.
Republicans are using the government shutdown to forcibly end the Affordable Care Act premium subsidies. These subsidies are what have kept coverage affordable for over 20 million Americans since 2021, including hundreds of thousands of Kansans. They cap how much working and middle-class families have to pay, with the federal government covering the rest. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average person with subsidized coverage currently pays about $888 a year in premiums. If Republicans succeed in ending these subsidies, that figure will more than double to $1,904 next year.
For a Kansas family of four earning $75,000, that’s $3,000 ripped out of the household budget. A family making $90,000 would pay nearly $3,800 more. In rural counties, where competition is low and premiums are already sky-high, older Kansans could face five-figure hikes. A 60-year-old couple earning $85,000 would see their annual bill jump by over $22,000 in one year.
That’s not a talking point. That’s the difference between being able to buy groceries, keep the lights on, pay for childcare, or not.
And Republicans know exactly what they’re doing. They’re not bumbling into this. They are choosing to raise health care costs on Kansas families to score pay for tax cuts for their corporate collaborators. They’re calling it “fiscal responsibility,” but what they’re really doing is shifting the bill onto you. They’ll protect subsidies for oil companies and tax breaks for billionaires, but when it comes to helping working Kansans keep their coverage, suddenly the money dries up.
These subsidies have been a lifeline for families who make too much to qualify for Medicaid but can’t afford full-price premiums. Without them, many will be forced to drop coverage altogether. Others will have to choose between paying the doctor or paying the mortgage.
This isn’t about partisan bickering or poll numbers. It’s about whether families can afford to stay healthy. It’s about whether Congress protects the middle class or squeezes it dry.
If Republicans get their way, premiums will spike, family budgets will buckle, and millions could lose coverage, not because of an economic crisis, but because politicians in Washington decided your health care was a bargaining chip.
Kansas families deserve better.
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/