Rising healthcare prices, lost subsidies, and fights to protect care

Across the country, people are struggling with higher healthcare costs as enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits expire, causing some ACA premiums to triple and hitting older adults especially hard. In response, certain states are stepping in with policies to make marketplace plans more affordable, while advocates highlight remaining ways some enrollees can still secure low- or zero-premium coverage. Individual stories, like a Mystic resident attending the State of the Union, put a human face on these rising costs. At the same time, groups such as the AIDS Healthcare Foundation are urging the federal government to protect safety-net programs like Florida’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program to preserve access to essential medications.