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As a financial advisor in Louisiana, I talk to families every day who are being crushed by one thing more than anything else: insurance.
Not just home insurance—flood, auto, business, health—it’s all going up, and going up fast. And with some of the lowest incomes in the country, working-class Louisianans simply can’t keep up.
Just this week, I spoke to a client who had to switch insurance providers to save a few hundred dollars. He’s fed up. Furious. Thinking about dropping coverage altogether. And I don’t blame him. He’s just trying to make his limited income stretch far enough to protect his family.
So here’s the part that should make you sit up:
While every kind of insurance is rising, there’s one kind that’s actually getting cheaper for Louisiana families: health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. And that’s only because Democrats in Congress fought to expand the subsidies that lower premiums. They’re still fighting now to keep them in place—before they vanish.
But once again, it’s Republicans in Congress who are standing in the way.
And unfortunately, the one leading the charge is one of our own: House Speaker Mike Johnson.
This isn’t just some squabble in D.C. It’s personal. It’s Louisiana families, rural hospitals, and real people who will pay the price if these health care subsidies expire. And unless something changes soon, that’s exactly what’s about to happen.
Most people think the government just “shut down” last week. But the truth is, the shutdown has been happening since Donald Trump took office again on January 20.
It started with freezing agency budgets—some of which violated federal law. Purging civil servants for political reasons—also illegal. Canceling programs that Congress had already approved—often unconstitutional under the Impoundment Control Act. Breaking the law, breaking the rules, and breaking public trust. And through it all, Republicans in Congress handed over their power and looked the other way.
That’s the pattern. That’s how we got here.
Back in March, Democrats in Congress helped pass a bipartisan deal to avoid a government shutdown—with the understanding that funding for programs like the ACA tax credits would be protected. But after the cameras turned off, Trump’s allies in the House and administration violated the agreement. They gutted the funding anyway.
And Mike Johnson? He watched it happen. Said nothing. Did nothing. And now—he’s asking us to trust them again?
Johnson isn’t just a bystander anymore—he’s running the show in Washington, while families back home are drowning in premiums. He’s the most powerful elected official Louisiana has had in decades. And when it comes to the one thing crushing families across our state—skyrocketing insurance costs—he’s blocking the only policy that’s actually lowering them.
He should know better. But instead of fighting for Louisiana, he’s fighting for the far-right agenda of a man who’s already been convicted of fraud, sexual assault, and inciting an insurrection.
Let’s be clear about what’s at stake:
Over 121,000 Louisianans enrolled in ACA coverage last year.
More than 90% received subsidies to help them afford it.
Right now, families in parts of Louisiana are paying as little as $111 a month for health insurance—thanks to subsidies that slash premiums by over $600. Without them, those same families could see costs jump to over $750 a month—an $8,000 hike per year.
Open enrollment starts November 1, and insurers are already raising rates now, assuming those subsidies will be cut.
If Republicans let these subsidies expire, healthier people will drop coverage. That drives up costs for everyone else—especially those with pre-existing conditions. And it puts even more pressure on rural hospitals that are already hanging by a thread.
All of this is preventable. All of this is a choice.
Democrats don’t want a shutdown. Louisianans don’t want a shutdown. But when the only thing standing between working families and a massive spike in insurance costs is a government funding fight—then maybe the real question is this: why are Republicans forcing a shutdown over this one thing?
The truth is, they’ve been trying to kill the ACA since the beginning. They used to campaign openly on ending it—until it got too unpopular. So now, they’re still at it, just quieter: starving it, sabotaging it, and sinking it behind closed doors—then lying to our faces about it.
So no, this isn’t just about budgets or procedures. It’s about power. And it’s about people.
Speaker Mike Johnson may hold the gavel in Washington. But here at home, we’re the ones holding the bills.
And we know exactly who’s making them harder to pay.
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