New Yorkers’ Insurance Premiums Set to Skyrocket as Republicans Allow ACA Tax Credits to Expire
Working New Yorkers Could See Their Health Care Costs Rise by Thousands of Dollars Annually
NEW YORK — With the start of open enrollment just days away, health insurers have published their 2026 premium rates, reflecting steep increases across the board for New York families as enhanced health care tax credits are set to expire. Because Congressman Mike Lawler and other House Republicans refuse to make these tax credits permanent, working families across the Hudson Valley will soon see their premium costs rise by thousands upon thousands of dollars a year. A family of four earning $130,000 a year could see their annual premiums skyrocket from just over $11,000 to more than $28,000, while a 60-year-old couple earning $85,000 could go from paying a little over $7,000 to nearly $20,000.
More than 118,000 New Yorkers rely on ACA tax credits to afford their insurance premiums, including 7,000 residents of Rep. Mike Lawler’s district. Because of these price hikes, the Urban Institute estimates that 4.8 million Americans will be unable to afford their premiums and be forced off their insurance next year.
“Health insurance is already one of my family’s biggest expenses each month,” said Lynn, a resident of Yorktown. “I’ve already had to start taking money out of my retirement account to help pay for it, and now it’s going to go up by almost $300 a month. I don’t even know how I’m going to make that work. Congressman Lawler promised that he would fight to lower our costs, but all he’s done is make things worse for families like mine. He needs to stop screwing around with people’s lives and work to make these tax credits permanent. Otherwise, people won’t be able to afford their insurance and will be forced to go without.”
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About Empire State Voices
Empire State Voices (ESV) is a multi-year campaign dedicated to amplifying the voices of everyday working New Yorkers. ESV is fighting for economic policies that make life more affordable for constituents and holding members of Congress across the state accountable when they fail to do the same.
