Health Insurance Premiums Set to Spike for Millions
Help students explore why health insurance premiums may sharply rise for millions in 2026 in this lesson, which breaks down the impact of expiring ACA subsidies and what it means for families.
Summary
We’re weeks away from 20 million Americans seeing a massive spike in their healthcare premiums. That’s if no deal can be struck to extend subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. We heard from some of those being affected.
View the transcript of the story.
Key Terms
Affordable Care Act (ACA) = legislation passed in 2010 that transformed health insurance regulation in the U.S., including creating plans for individuals to purchase health insurance outside plans from their jobs. Subsidies for these individual insurance plans were offered through legislation passed during the COVID epidemic.
Warm-Up Questions
- When are insurance premiums set to spike for millions?
- Why are subsidies (financial support from the government) expiring now?
- How many people will drop insurance coverage after subsidies end, according to estimates?
- Who are some of the people interviewed in this segment, and how will they be impacted?
- What are some of the monthly payment increases expected for the individuals interviewed in this segment?
Essential Questions
- Why do you think health insurance is so expensive for so many in the United States?
- What do you think the federal government (or state and local governments) could do to make insurance and healthcare more affordable?
Media literacy: How do you think the producers of this segment chose the individuals that were interviewed about their experiences?
What Students Can Do
One of the reasons that Republicans and Democrats couldn't agree on extending subsidies is that Republicans hoped to launch their own plan to replace some elements of the Affordable Care Act. But what would a Republican plan include? Read the article "Trump and Republicans again face a tough political battle over Obama’s health care law" and then discuss the following —
- What changes do Republicans seek to make to the healthcare and health insurance systems?
- Why do you think they haven't voted on these plans already?
- What change would you make to the way health care is funded in the United States?
Republished with permission from PBS News Hour Classroom.
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