The Affordable Care Act (ACA) health coverage subsidy lapse has had a significant impact on millions of people, forcing them to make tough financial choices. Here are three stories of individuals affected by the lapse:
Nancy Linder, a 47-year-old woman living outside Atlanta, saw her out-of-pocket health insurance premiums triple after the enhanced ACA subsidies expired. She and her husband, who have been on the same silver-tier health plan since 2019, now pay $483 per month, up from $162 per month in 2025. Nancy, who has medical issues and requires health insurance, feels the increased cost is a substantial burden on their income of about $30,000.
Kate Bivona and her husband, musicians from Arizona, chose to downgrade their health insurance plan to a bronze-tier plan to avoid sharply higher premiums. Their annual deductible for medical care increased to $15,000, up from $0 last year. Kate, who has student debt and a joint income of about $50,000 with her husband, feels the cost of healthcare is compounding and making it hard to get ahead.
Robin Wright-Pierce and her husband, who are self-employed, decided to drop their health insurance coverage for 2026 due to higher premiums. They had been enrolled in an ACA marketplace plan since 2023, but the re-emergence of the 'subsidy cliff' disqualified them from a premium tax credit, forcing them to pay about $1,000 per month out of pocket for the same health plan. Robin, who is healthy and doesn't frequently visit the doctor, plans to save the amount paid in premiums last year in case of medical issues.
