The Rising Cost of Healthcare: Real Consequences for ACA Enrollees

Thu Mar 19 2026 17:18:03 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

As health insurance costs soar, many Americans are facing tough decisions between medication and basic necessities. A new survey reveals the extent of the financial strain on enrollees in the Affordable Care Act marketplace.

Priscilla Brown, a truck dispatcher in Orlando, shares her struggle with rising healthcare costs, having to take less insulin and prioritize gas over medicine. A recent survey shows that 80% of Americans who re-enrolled in ACA coverage are facing increased health costs, with many planning to cut spending on essentials. Despite efforts by some lawmakers to extend pandemic-related subsidies, millions are left to navigate higher premiums and difficult choices about their healthcare.

NEW YORK (AP) — Recently, Priscilla Brown has found herself juggling the management of her Type 2 diabetes against the backdrop of rising everyday expenses, like gas for her vehicle. To manage costs, she has resorted to taking only half or a third of her prescribed insulin dosage.

“Sometimes I don’t even take my medicine,” said the 48-year-old truck dispatcher from Orlando, Florida. “It’s overwhelming with insurance costs.”

According to a new survey from KFF, around 80% of Americans who re-enrolled in Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace coverage report a spike in their healthcare costs this year, with about half indicating their expenses have significantly increased. This rise is attributed largely to the expiration of enhanced tax credits that previously helped to mitigate premium costs for enrollees.

The financial burden is palpable; nearly 55% of surveyed participants plan to cope with rising healthcare costs by trimming their spending on food and other essential household expenses.

Democrats in Congress had fought last year to maintain the expanded COVID-era subsidies, but faced opposition from Republican leadership. As efforts for bipartisan solutions collapsed in early January, approximately 23 million ACA enrollees were left without financial relief, thus confronting higher premiums or forced to drop or downgrade their plans.

The new KFF poll, conducted in early 2026, shines a light on how these unresolved issues continue to add pressure to everyday Americans, most of whom are shifting their healthcare strategies. About 70% of enrollees decided to stay with ACA health insurance; however, many have switched to lower-tier plans or sought coverage through alternative means like employer-provided insurance or Medicaid.

Others, like Eric LeVasseur, who once held a mid-tier plan, have ceased their coverage altogether, citing a nearly triple increase in their monthly premiums. “It was not something my budget could accommodate,” he said.

A significant portion of those surveyed, approximately 70%, assign blame for the healthcare crisis primarily to health insurance companies, while over half hold Republican lawmakers at fault, with a notable number also criticizing President Trump and pharmaceutical companies.

This survey underscores the reality that many Americans are not just grappling with rising healthcare costs but are also caught in a complex political landscape where they feel their essential needs are overlooked. The struggle for affordable healthcare continues, leaving many like Brown in a precarious situation.