ACA Premiums Soar: Families Face Healthcare Costs & Cutbacks

Manchester, Conn. – Ken Warner, a sci-fi and fantasy author, and his wife, Parveen Vohra, a mental health counselor, are now paying $2,531.07 each month for health insurance, a cost that has more than quadrupled from the $630 they paid in 2025. The spike in premiums comes after enhanced federal subsidies for Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans expired, leaving the couple and millions of Americans facing significantly higher healthcare costs.

Warner and Vohra, both self-employed and in their mid-50s, had already faced substantial expenses in 2025, including a new roof, a boiler replacement, and surgeries for both of them – a hip replacement for Warner and eye surgery for Vohra. They covered those costs by depleting one of two retirement accounts they had accumulated from previous employment.

“We needed a new roof and a boiler the same year as [two] surgeries — I had a hip replacement and Parveen had some eye surgery that had to get done,” Warner said. “Even with a great plan, we had out-of-pocket costs.”

The expiration of the subsidies, which had been in place to make ACA plans more affordable, has created a new financial strain. A recent KFF survey found that seven in ten ACA enrollees have maintained their marketplace coverage, but a substantial number have downgraded their plans or gone without insurance altogether. “When we ask people about the reasons why, what we’re hearing over and over again is cost,” said Ashley Kirzinger, KFF’s director of survey methodology.

To cope with the increased premiums, Warner and Vohra have made significant cuts to their household budget. They’ve switched to cheaper cell phone plans, canceled streaming services, and eliminated house-cleaning assistance. “We’re not doing any vacations, which [are] a good mental health practice,” Vohra said. “But to offset that $2,500 a month… something’s got to give.”

Warner is attempting to supplement their income by crowdfunding for a special edition of his novel, “The Secret of Giza,” the first in a planned 10-volume series. He has also applied for jobs offering health benefits, but has not yet been successful. Vohra continues to work full-time as a counselor and also manages medical appointments for her 87-year-vintage mother.

The situation is particularly concerning given the potential for future medical needs. Warner anticipates needing a second hip replacement, and Vohra may require additional eye surgery. This has led them to consider tapping into their remaining retirement account. “Now we’re looking at, ‘Oh, maybe we have to tap [that],’” Vohra said. “And this is supposed to be meant for our 60s and 70s and 80s.”

Adding to their worries is the cost of long-term care for Vohra’s mother, which currently runs around $10,000 per month. They fear how they will afford such expenses in their own old age, especially if health insurance premiums continue to rise. “We know next year there’s going to be probably another 10%, 20% increase,” Warner said. “It’s going to get worse — it’s not like this was a one-time shot.”

Warner expressed frustration with the current system. “It really just has been an infuriating process to watch this all just go backwards,” he said. “I signify, it feels criminal. It feels like we’re actually being robbed — they’re literally just taking money away from people like us.”

Federal data indicates that more than a million fewer people had signed up for ACA plans for 2026 as of mid-January, suggesting a broader trend of individuals priced out of the marketplace.