John,

Open enrollment on the Health Care Marketplace has begun, and millions of Americans are experiencing sticker shock when they see their premiums for next year.

Twenty-four million Americans get their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. Without the enhanced premium tax credits, millions of enrollees will see their insurance premiums at least double, leaving insurance out of reach for millions of people and their families.¹

ABC News spoke with people on the ACA exchanges and here’s what they found:²

Beth Dryer is the executive director of a small nonprofit in Norfolk, Virginia, and her premium will rise from $80 per month to $425.03 per month, while Stacy Cox, a photographer in Utah, will see her and her husband’s premium increase by 300%—from $495.32 per month to $2,168.68 per month.

As Stacy told ABC News:

"Just that bill right there, that's more than our mortgage, our insurance, most of our food. That's what we're paying per month to live. We can't afford to double what it costs for us to live just to have health insurance."

Beth and Stacy aren’t the only ones. That’s why we’re lobbying Congress about extending these premium tax credits. And your personal story could have a big impact.

If you or your family get your health insurance through the ACA Marketplace and are seeing a huge increase in your monthly payments next year, we want to hear from you. Click here to share your story today so we can share it on Capitol Hill and lawmakers can hear how their lack of action is impacting you and your family.

We are in a health care crisis, and the combined impact of Republicans cutting nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid this summer and not extending these tax credits would decimate health care in the U.S. for years to come. Extending the ACA tax credits is politically popular and morally necessary. Congress must pass legislation immediately that includes an extension of the enhanced ACA premium tax credits.

Of all the suffering that would occur if these premium tax credits aren’t extended, very few states will be hit as hard as Texas, which has one of the highest uninsured rates in the nation. After the ACA premium tax credits were extended in 2021 under the Inflation Reduction Act, enrollment in the ACA in Texas skyrocketed from 1.3 million in 2021 to 3.9 million in 2025.³ But if the expanded credits expire, a 60-year-old couple in Texas with income of $85,000 would be stunned to see their premium jump from $7,225 to $33,689 per year; a Texas family of four earning $130,000 would see annual premiums soar from $11,050 to $25,360. Many will be forced to go without insurance.⁴

At a time when prices for essentials like groceries and utility bills are skyrocketing, asking people to pay an extra $300 or more per month on health insurance is unrealistic, especially when 59% of Americans don’t have enough savings to cover an emergency expense of $1,000 or more.⁵

The only way to effect change is to make it clear to Congress how this issue hits home for their constituents. By submitting your story today, you’re applying pressure on Republicans to come to the table and negotiate, and you’re backing up Democrats’ demands for Congress to act now to keep health care affordable for tens of millions of Americans.

Click here to share your personal story of how the lack of the ACA premium tax credit will impact you and your family.

Thanks for all you do,

Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, CHN Action

¹ ACA Premium Payments Would More than Double on Average If Enhanced Tax Credits Expire
² Obamacare enrollee sees premium spike over 300% as sign-up period begins: 'This will devastate us'
³ Texas could bear the brunt of expiring ACA tax credits. Is the GOP delegation willing to make a deal?
[4]CHN table citing Center on Budget and Policy Priorities data
⁵ Most Americans can't afford a $1,000 emergency expense, report finds