With Affordable Care Act subsidies expiring, many Montanans will ring in the new year with higher health insurance costs.
While the U.S. House is set to vote on the subsidies in January, it does not help people who've already made coverage decisions for the month.
Bradley Cook, a former adjunct biology professor at the University of Montana, lives in Hamilton and said his premiums went from $260 a month to almost $700 a month. He added his deductible also more than doubled, which he described as simply prohibitive.
"My Social Security isn't doubling," Cook pointed out. "So it, in effect, was like a $15,000 expense, out of pocket, before I get any real insurance help. So I had to just cancel that."
People making more than 400% of the poverty level will no longer get the Affordable Care Act extended subsidies. The premium tax credits were expanded in 2021, allowing more people to qualify at lower cost. Congress did not act on Democratic or Republican proposals before leaving for their holiday recess this year, meaning the subsidies will end Dec. 31, 2025. The House is expected to vote on a three-year subsidy extension when members return next week.
Cook is now going with a direct health care provider with much cheaper premiums. He noted it covers office visits and routine health care but his current plan does not include coverage for catastrophic events, such as a cancer diagnosis. He has a sinus infection at the moment and said canceling his Affordable Care Act health insurance has him thinking differently about what is usually a simple illness.
"Taking Sudafed or Afrin and things like that is the normal procedure to take care of something like this," Cook underscored. "But if it had turned into something more complicated, that would wipe me out. Something simple would wipe me out."
Montana's congressional delegation opposes extending the subsidies, saying they are COVID-era spending which should expire and they have allowed insurance companies to raise premiums. More than 67,000 of Montana's 77,000 marketplace enrollees are expected to see premium increases in 2026 without the subsidies.
