1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

I am a Texas constituent writing to express serious concern about the loss of ACA subsidies and the unsustainable cost increases facing responsible, middle-class families. My husband and I are in our mid-50s. In 2025, our household income was approximately $100,000. We work, pay taxes, and purchase our own health insurance through the ACA marketplace because it is the only viable option available to us. We do not qualify for Medicaid, employer coverage, or Medicare. In 2025, the full premium for our current plan is $1,696 per month, but subsidies reduce our actual cost to under $1,000 per month, making it barely manageable. In 2026, that same plan will cost $2,274 per month, and we will no longer qualify for any subsidy. That is an effective increase of about $1,300 per month—over $15,000 per year—for identical coverage. Even if we downgrade to a bronze plan with a very high deductible, our monthly premium would still be $1,988, nearly $12,000 more per year than what we pay now, while exposing us to far greater financial risk if we actually need care. This is not a request for handouts. It is a warning about a system that penalizes work, savings, and personal responsibility. At $100,000 in annual income, we are solidly middle class—not wealthy—and yet we are treated as if we can absorb $24,000 per year in premiums alone, before deductibles or prescriptions. Texas already faces limited marketplace competition and higher premiums for older adults. The result is a growing group of Texans who are too young for Medicare, too responsible for Medicaid, and too “high-income” on paper for subsidies—yet unable to sustainably afford private insurance. I urge Congress to address the ACA affordability cliff by smoothing subsidy phase-outs and preserving incentives for work and self-reliance. Texans who do everything right should not be priced out of health insurance simply because they are aging or earning a modest middle-class income.