My health insurance went up 546%
My health insurance went up 546%, and Washington looked away
I used to pay $218 a month for health insurance through Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina. Starting in 2026, it will be $1,408 — a 546% increase. I’m not alone. Millions of Americans are about to see premiums skyrocket even as Washington celebrates a shutdown deal that leaves affordable health care out in the cold.
Recently, the Senate reached an agreement to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. That’s good news for the thousands of federal employees who will finally get paychecks again. It reopens agencies, restarts SNAP, and restores a measure of order.
But the deal does nothing to protect Americans from the wave of unaffordable premiums coming soon. The enhanced tax credits that have kept coverage within reach for millions are expiring, and the Senate walked away from the only leverage Democrats had to extend them.
Analysts estimate that average subsidized premiums could more than double next year — from $888 to about $1,900 a month — if Congress doesn’t act. That’s not a rounding error; that’s a family’s grocery budget or mortgage payment.
Democrats had one clear opportunity to stand up for working Americans — to use the shutdown to secure another year of affordable coverage — and they blinked. Eight Democrats broke ranks, joining Republicans to end the shutdown without a single safeguard for health care.
Here in North Carolina, we’ve already seen what happens when affordability slips away. Nearly one in eight adults in our state remains uninsured, and rural hospitals are struggling to stay open. Blue Cross Blue Shield dominates the market, and while other options exist on paper, their rates are climbing too — leaving families with few real choices. In Western North Carolina, where wages haven’t kept pace with costs, a hike like this can break a household budget overnight.
These tax credits were first expanded under the American Rescue Plan, then extended in the Inflation Reduction Act with bipartisan support. They’ve helped more than 800,000 North Carolinians afford insurance through the marketplace. Without them, middle-class families — people who earn too much for Medicaid but not enough to pay full price — will fall into the same coverage gap that has already hurt so many in rural states like ours.
Say what you will about President Trump, but he understands political leverage. He’s willing to play chicken, and that’s part of why he won the presidency. Voters may not always agree with him, but they recognize resolve when they see it.
Democrats, on the other hand, keep proving they haven’t learned that lesson. They talk about standing up for working families, but when the moment of truth comes, too many cave. This was their chance to show Americans they could fight as hard for health care as Trump fights for his priorities. Instead, they gave up their bargaining chip, and millions will pay the price.
This isn’t about political gamesmanship; it’s about real people. The teacher whose insurance is about to double, the single mom choosing between child care and a doctor’s visit, the small-business owner who can’t afford to cover her family. It’s about people like me, whose premium jumped from $218 to $1,408 and who now must make impossible choices.
North Carolina families are working hard, paying their taxes, and doing their best to stay afloat, but they deserve a fair shot at affordable coverage. When premiums soar this high, it doesn’t just hurt household budgets; it limits what families can spend locally. It means fewer dinners out, fewer purchases from small businesses, and less money circulating in the economy that keeps Western North Carolina strong. It chips away at the stability that allows communities to plan, grow, and give back.
In Western North Carolina, we don’t expect perfection from our leaders. We expect courage. The kind that holds firm when it matters. Ending the shutdown without securing health-care protections wasn’t courage. It was surrender.
If our leaders in Washington can find common ground to reopen the government, they can find the will to protect affordable health care. They just have to care enough to fight for it.
We deserve leaders who see the people behind the policies, not just the headlines about shutdowns and political wins. Health care shouldn’t be a luxury or a talking point. It’s the foundation of a strong economy and a healthy democracy. If Washington won’t fight for that, then it’s time for new voices who will.
The shutdown may be over, but for millions of Americans, the crisis is just beginning.
