KFF Survey: Many ACA Enrollees Cut Food Spending After Enhanced Tax Credits Expire
A new Kaiser Family Foundation survey released Thursday finds that 80% of Affordable Care Act marketplace enrollees say their health care costs are higher since enhanced premium tax credits expired, and 55% report cutting back on food or other basic household expenses to keep their coverage. Roughly 1 in 10 respondents say they have dropped their marketplace plan entirely and are now uninsured, underscoring how the lapse of federal subsidies has reshaped family budgets. The article profiles enrollees in Brooklyn, West Virginia and North Carolina whose monthly premiums have jumped hundreds to thousands of dollars, in some cases consuming about a third of take‑home pay and forcing them to delay travel or home repairs and to bargain‑shop for groceries. Several interviewees explicitly link their voting plans and political views to these cost increases, blaming Republicans and President Trump for allowing the credits to expire and vowing to back candidates who treat health care as a right. The findings land as both parties head into the 2026 midterms with health‑care affordability again a top voter concern, and as advocates argue that restoring enhanced credits and tackling underlying cost growth are now political and economic necessities rather than talking points.
📌 Key Facts
- Kaiser Family Foundation survey finds 80% of ACA marketplace enrollees say their health care costs are higher since enhanced premium tax credits expired.
- 55% of surveyed enrollees report cutting spending on food or other basic household expenses to afford their ACA coverage.
- About 10% of respondents say they have dropped their marketplace plan and are currently uninsured.
- Individual cases cited include a Brooklyn couple whose monthly premium rose from $461 to $801 and a West Virginia nonprofit director whose premium climbed to about $2,000, roughly one‑third of her take‑home pay.
- Survey results and voter comments are being framed in the article as a defining midterm‑election issue around health‑care costs and subsidy policy.
📊 Relevant Data
In 2024, approximately 22% of consumers who selected plans during the ACA Marketplace Open Enrollment Period identified as Hispanic/Latino, compared to 21% in 2023, while Hispanics make up about 19% of the U.S. population.
Health Insurance Exchanges 2024 Open Enrollment Report — Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
During the 2024 ACA Marketplace Open Enrollment Period, nearly 5 million Latinos and 3 million Black Americans made plan selections on HealthCare.gov, representing significant portions of enrollees, with Blacks comprising about 13% of the U.S. population.
HealthCare.gov Plan Selections by Race and Ethnicity, 2015-2024 — Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
In 2023, the uninsured rate among Hispanic adults in the U.S. was 22%, compared to 8% for Black adults, 5% for White adults, and 3% for Asian adults, while the overall adult uninsured rate was 8%.
Percent uninsured — Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker
U.S. health care costs are projected to rise in 2026 due to factors including an 8% annual increase in pharmacy spending driven by growth in infusion and hospital specialty pharmacy use, alongside inflation, labor market pressures, and high catastrophic claims.
What to expect in US healthcare in 2026 and beyond — McKinsey & Company
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