Name: Healthcare premiums to skyrocket Jan. 1 for Obamacare enrollees
Uploaded: 2025-12-31T19:21:36.000Z
Duration: 10 min 59 s
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Millions of Americans are now on the brink of seeing their health insurance costs skyrocket when extended subsidies for Obamacare users expire at the end of the day tomorrow.

Adverbs of degree

Recently, CNN met one couple in New Jersey whose monthly premium will spike from $340 kind of manageable there, to almost $2,000 starting January 1st.

They can't afford it and they say it means they'll have to be uninsured.

They're there are 24 million Obamacare enrollees.

Over the last month on Capitol Hill, Democratic and Republican lawmakers tried to address the problem.

But days before Christmas, the Republican led House and Senate adjourned and Congress left town without a deal.

According to the latest polling from the nonprofit Kaiser Family foundation, most enrollees blame the president and Republicans for what happens after tomorrow, 34% faulting Trump, 29% Republicans, while 19% will blame Democrats.

Veteran pollster and communications strategist Frank Luntz is with us now.

Frank, Speaker Johnson and President Trump, and

we hear it from Republicans over and over blaming Obamacare for this.

We should note fact checkers have found Obamacare didn't play that role in hugely increasing insurance premium costs.

But of course, we know that doesn't always factor into whether voters believe something or not.

All are voters buying this finger pointing on Obamacare?

And they don't like it and they resent it.

And this is going to play a major role in the 2026 election.

The shutdown that we experienced, the longest ever in American history, started off hurting Democrats more than Republicans, ended up hurting President Trump more than anybody else.

If the government does shut down because they still can't find a solution to this is going to be very painful for the Republican Party because as you note, every survey, every poll that's out there shows that Republicans will be hurt more by this than Democrats.

But in the end, it's not about polling, it's not about politics or about elections.

In the end, we have a significant percentage, millions and millions of people who cannot afford their health care.

And this becomes an issue not just of affordability, but expense.

in the polling that we've done, the public thinks that American health care is simply too expensive and they will be grateful for any solution that brings down that cost.

Yet how on the hook are Republicans for providing that solution?

Because when we talk to them, they talk a lot about Republican proposals to address the cost of health care.

And yet it's been 15 years since Obamacare passed.

And, and you have these subsidies about to expire and ratcheting up the pressure.

Well, the pressure is significant and in the end it doesn't matter whether it's the subsidy.

The public does not know the details of this and frankly, they don't really care if they can afford their healthcare, they're grateful if they can't, they're angry, they're pissed off.

And that is what both sides need to hear, that Democrats are wrong, are wrong for pushing a government oriented solution.

Republicans are wrong for pushing free market both.

We don't want government bureaucrats determining our health care.

We don't want insurance company bureaucrats.

We simply want to have the choice and the control, the affordability and delivered by the doctors and hospitals that we trust.

They said there was going to be this expensive when Obamacare was passed back, as you say, a dozen years ago.

And because Republicans are in charge, they will be expected to have that solution.

Bush's advisor, former adviser Karl Rove, put out his perspective on the political year that was 2025, writing Americans would be much more likely to support Mr.

Trump if he explained what he's doing and ask for patience as his administration makes necessary changes.

Presidents do best when they under promise and over deliver the opposite.

Over promising and under delivering angers voters.

They often take out their anger at the ballot box.

What does President Trump and Republicans have to do if they don't want voters to take that out on them at the ballot box come the midterms?

Well, let's talk about health care and stay on that topic.

they provide a little bit more limited care, but

they give people the choice and control that they want and need.

And that is a solution because it makes health care much more affordable.

But they're not doing a good enough job explaining that the party is divided right now.

And the fact is the only thing that's less popular right now, the Republican Party is the Democratic Party.

Polls, including yours, show Democrats at an all time low in terms of public support.

Right now, it's a pox on both your houses.

And I've cleaned up my language there because the public is tired of both sides yelling at each other, blaming each other while things get worse.

As many of us prepare to ring in the new year, millions of Americans under the Affordable Care act are bracing for their health insurance costs to surge on January 1.

Extended subsidies for Obamacare will expire after Congress failed to find a solution despite weeks of back and forth talks on Capitol Hill.

And for many, the reality now means pay a lot more for health care or go without it.

Joining us now is someone facing this dilemma, Jeremy Coolish.

Jeremy, thank you so much for taking time to talk about your situation.

I think this really illustrates for people what folks are going through.

And let's start first with why you qualified for the ACA subsidy to begin with.

I was I'm a software developer and had for the past six years was in a senior position at the Census Bureau on a long term contract until May.

And that contract was canceled by the Trump administration as part of the downsizing efforts.

And that thrust me into a very difficult job market that I am still navigating and still seeking my next opportunity.

There have been a lot of stressful things about that.

But the healthcare plan that I got through the marketplace and the subsidies that allow me to afford it have really been a blessing.

Somebody helped me find the plan I like and it was a great plan.

I'd love to be able to stay on it if the opportunity were there.

But yeah, that's a lot longer affordable.

Yeah, that's so talk about that when you're talking about it's not affordable.

What were you paying per month and what would it go to without the subsidy?

So I've been paying $392 a month for my current plan, which is quite a good plan.

And it's enabled me to really ensure continuity of care for a couple chronic conditions I have in the my wife has as well.

The plan, when I saw last I saw on the marketplace without subsidies, it would be something like $1608, give or take.

And I can't imagine who could afford that, who is in the position to be needing subsidies.

So because my situation is still very fluid, I have no demonstrable income that I can show when working, you know, through determining what benefits are available to me.

And that enabled my wife and I go on to Medicaid.

I'm very grateful for it and Medicaid is extremely important, of course.

But it's, you know, it's a disruption of my care.

And there I am actually going to be getting a procedure tomorrow that I had planned for January.

I was lucky to be able to that there was a cancellation.

It's a long awaited maintenance procedure.

You have to get it in on the last day of the year under the old program.

And that's incredibly stressful if you have chronic conditions and I mean you have care, which is something.