JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
For more than 20 million Americans, January 1 brought way more expensive health insurance. These are people who received expanded federal subsidies to help cover health care plans purchased on the Affordable Care Act Marketplace - or Obamacare. Congress did not renew those subsidies for 2026, so on average, premium costs for ACA plans are double what they were last year.
Now, there is some news on this we want to tell you about. Yesterday, the House voted to renew those currently expired subsidies, but it's unclear where that might go in the Senate and what President Trump would sign. In the meantime, we have reached one of those 20-million-plus people. Her name is Jamie Israel. She is a therapist in Atlanta and joins us now. Welcome.
JAMIE ISRAEL: Thanks so much for having me.
SUMMERS: Thanks for being here. Jamie, let's start with this. What were you paying for health care last year compared to what you pay now without the federal subsidies?
ISRAEL: I had a gold plan last year, so I was right around $560 a month. This year, I'm looking at a $940 monthly premium, and that is without any subsidies.
SUMMERS: I mean, just doing the math, you're paying nearly $400 more a month for your health care. That is not a small increase. Is that something you can afford?
ISRAEL: That's a great question. That's what I'm trying to figure out. Previously, when I decided on this plan for 2026, it seemed feasible to find a way to work it into my budget one way or another. And as I've continued to run my numbers, it's not looking like that's going to be available to me. So I am looking at some alternative plans for the year, trying to see if I can switch my plan before the January 15 deadline.
SUMMERS: If you do end up changing your plan, what would that mean for your coverage? Would a cheaper plan, as far as you know, still cover everything that you need for your care?
ISRAEL: Oh, not even close. No, the coverage tanks substantially. Part of what I've been wrestling with is you can pay less in monthly premium but get almost next to no reasonable coverage versus paying a relatively exorbitant amount and getting mediocre coverage.
SUMMERS: I know that you're a licensed therapist, so you're also a health care provider facing those cost increases on that end - that's right?
ISRAEL: Absolutely. Yeah.
SUMMERS: Have you seen patients who are affected by these expiring subsidies?
ISRAEL: Absolutely. Subsidies have certainly been an issue for some of my clients, and they have had to make changes in their health care coverage, which is affecting our ability to continue our work together. I am making accommodations for the clients that I'm working with who've been affected and are facing a lack of access to treatment - in other words, reducing my rate and getting paid less so that my clients can be cared for. But it's a tricky balance trying to be accommodating to the people who need my care and also keeping an eye on my bottom line and making sure that I don't go into the red.
SUMMERS: We've heard from our colleagues on Capitol Hill that the Senate's working on some kind of compromise to extend the subsidies, though of course it's very unclear how that might resolve, given that this issue already caused a government shutdown. Jamie, what do you want Congress to hear as they continue to negotiate this?
ISRAEL: What I would want them to hear is the desperation that I'm hearing not only from the clients that I work with, but also from colleagues in my field, other peers and friends and acquaintances that I know. This is really dire. This is having very real consequences on people's lives, and people's health is at stake. I essentially plead with Congress to represent the populations that they're here to serve.
SUMMERS: Jamie Israel - she's a therapist in Atlanta and receives her health care through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace. Thank you.
ISRAEL: Thank you. I appreciate it. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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