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Rapid Response Kitby The Autism Dad

Health insurance costs (ACA)

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Happening now · act nowFacts verified August 5, 2026

Stop the Health Premium Spike

What this is

Ready-to-use scripts to tell Congress to restore the health insurance help that kept premiums down for people who buy their own coverage, before the price hikes stick.

What this is, in plain language

The basics

The extra help that lowered premiums for people who buy their own health insurance, the enhanced premium tax credits, expired at the end of 2025. Without it, the price people pay is jumping for the 2026 plan year.

KFF estimates the average subsidized customer's premium payment more than doubles, up about 114 percent, from about 888 dollars in 2025 to about 1,904 in 2026, or roughly a thousand dollars more a year. This hits the more than 24 million people enrolled in marketplace coverage, including the self-employed, early retirees, gig workers, and small-business families who earn too much for Medicaid.

The House has already acted. It passed a three-year extension on January 8, 2026, by 230 to 196, with 17 Republicans voting for it. The bill is stalled in the Senate, where it needs 60 votes. That is where this is decided now.

Who this reaches

Who this affects

This is the middle-class and small-business story. If you are self-employed, retired before 65, driving for a rideshare, or running a small shop, this is your health insurance bill going up by about a thousand dollars a year. It reaches a lot of families who have never asked the government for anything.

Good to know
  • The House already voted to bring them back. It passed a three-year extension on January 8, 2026, by 230 to 196, with 17 Republicans in favor. It is stalled in the Senate, where it needs 60 votes, so your senators are the ones to call.
  • KFF estimates the average subsidized premium payment more than doubles, about 114 percent higher, or roughly a thousand dollars more per year.
  • It affects the more than 24 million people enrolled in marketplace coverage, not people with job-based insurance.
KFF: marketplace premium payments would more than double KFF: what we know about 2026 marketplace premiums The House passed a three-year extension, January 8, 2026 (230-196)
The bill summaries in this tool are written to be neutral. This page is different. It's an advocacy page and it takes a side. Here's the reasoning and here are the sources. Read them and decide for yourself.
Optional, and it saves you the most time

Fill in your reps' names

Enter your address and we'll drop your representatives' names into every script below, federal and state. Your address is used once to find your districts and is not stored. It goes to the U.S. Census geocoder to match your address to a district.

You can skip this. The scripts work as they are, with blanks for you to fill in yourself.

Federal: your 2 senators and your representative

Call script~45 sec

5 spots to fill inAdd a line about your own family if you can. Staffers remember those.
Hi, my name is [YOUR NAME] and I'm a constituent from [YOUR TOWN, ZIP].

I'm calling about health insurance costs. The extra help that kept premiums affordable for people who buy their own coverage expired, and prices are jumping for 2026.

I'm asking [SENATOR / REPRESENTATIVE LAST NAME] to vote to restore the enhanced premium tax credits.

[I buy my own insurance, and my premium is going up by hundreds of dollars a month.]

Can you tell me where [SENATOR / REPRESENTATIVE LAST NAME] stands on restoring the premium help? Thank you for your time.

Email subjectif you'd rather not call

Please restore the premium tax credits before health insurance gets unaffordable

Email messagepaste into the message box

Open in email app (you'll add the address)
5 spots to fill inAdd a line about your own family if you can. Staffers remember those.
Dear [SENATOR / REPRESENTATIVE LAST NAME],

I'm a constituent from [YOUR TOWN, ZIP], and I'm writing about the cost of health insurance for people who buy their own coverage.

The enhanced premium tax credits that kept marketplace premiums affordable expired at the end of 2025. KFF estimates the average subsidized customer's payment more than doubles, about 114 percent higher, roughly a thousand dollars more a year. This hits the self-employed, early retirees, gig workers, and small-business families, more than 24 million people enrolled in marketplace coverage. The House passed a three-year extension on January 8, 2026. It is waiting on the Senate.

These are working people who do not get coverage through a job. A price spike like this pushes healthy people to drop coverage and leaves everyone else paying more.

[I buy my own insurance, and ...]

I'm asking you to vote to restore the enhanced premium tax credits.

Please tell me where you stand. I'd appreciate a written response.

Thank you,
[YOUR NAME]
[YOUR TOWN, ZIP]

Find them: call the U.S. Capitol switchboard 202-224-3121, or look up your address at congress.gov/members.

State: your legislators and governor

Call script~1 min

5 spots to fill inAdd a line about your own family if you can. Staffers remember those.
Hi, my name is [YOUR NAME] and I'm a constituent from [YOUR TOWN, ZIP].

I'm calling about health insurance costs. The federal premium help that kept marketplace coverage affordable expired, and premiums are jumping here for 2026.

I want [STATE LEGISLATOR / GOVERNOR LAST NAME] to press our congressional delegation to restore the premium help, and to do what our state can to protect people who buy their own insurance.

[I buy my own insurance here, and the price is going up a lot.]

Where does [STATE LEGISLATOR / GOVERNOR LAST NAME] stand on keeping health coverage affordable? Thank you.

Email subjectif you'd rather not call

Help keep health insurance affordable for people in our state

Email messagepaste into the message box

Open in email app (you'll add the address)
4 spots to fill in
Dear [TITLE AND LAST NAME],

I'm a constituent from [YOUR TOWN, ZIP], writing about the cost of health insurance for people who buy their own coverage here.

The federal enhanced premium tax credits expired at the end of 2025, and premiums are rising sharply for the 2026 plan year. The people hit hardest are the self-employed, early retirees, and small-business families who do not get coverage through a job.

I'm asking you to press our congressional delegation to restore the premium help, and to use whatever tools our state has to protect people who buy their own insurance from being priced out.

Please tell me where you stand. I'd appreciate a written response.

Thank you,
[YOUR NAME]
[YOUR TOWN, ZIP]
Paste and share

Text or DM to one person

Heads up. The extra help that kept health insurance affordable for people who buy their own coverage expired, and KFF says the average premium payment more than doubles for 2026, about a thousand dollars more a year. This hits the self-employed, early retirees, and small-business families. Congress can still fix it. Please call your members of Congress at 202-224-3121 and ask them to restore the premium tax credits. Two minutes.

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