‘Punch in the gut’: West Virginia woman tells Congress her Obamacare premium jumped 323%

A West Virginia woman told lawmakers Tuesday that her Obamacare premium jumped 323%, calling the increase a “punch in the gut” as Congress grilled health insurance CEOs over rising costs and the future of the Affordable Care Act.

“Last month, I did what millions of Americans and tens of thousands of West Virginians did. I went online to re-enroll through HealthCare.gov, the ACA marketplace,” said Ellen Allen, a 64-year-old from French, West Virginia.

“When I saw my new premium, I felt a pit in my stomach. I expected an increase, but it was a punch in the gut to see my premium had jumped 323%,” she told the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee.

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Allen said she paid just under $500 a month last year for a bronze plan that included vision and dental coverage, which came out to about $6,000 annually.

“I liked that plan and it was somewhat affordable, even with a high deductible and a $9,200 maximum out-of-pocket cost,” she said.

But the expiration of enhanced premium tax credits sent her monthly premium soaring to nearly $2,000, without vision or dental insurance. Over a year, that eye-watering cost equals the price of a reliable used car.

“That’s a lot to ask of a hardworking American who has worked every day of her adult and teen life,” she told lawmakers. 

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The tax credits, which expired at the start of the year, have driven higher health care costs for millions of Americans who buy coverage on their own — including self-employed workers, small business owners and ranchers who do not qualify for Medicaid or Medicare.

“Millions of Americans, including 67,000 West Virginians, have been able to afford market-based coverage thanks to the enhanced premium tax credits,” Allen said, adding that the subsidies kept people insured, kept small business owners covered and kept families healthy.

Allen warned that the loss of those tax credits is forcing families to make painful financial trade-offs.

“There’s nothing fair about a system that makes us choose between saving for retirement or dipping into savings to pay for a life-preserving procedure or, as several people I know are doing, dropping health insurance altogether and rolling the dice.”

She called on lawmakers to reverse course.

“This is fixable. Congress can act now to restore and make permanent the ACA’s expanded premium tax credits. Doing so would save lives, protect families, and strengthen our economy.”

The loss of the enhanced ACA subsidies comes as the Trump administration pushes to rein in costs nationwide, with a high-stakes midterm election year sharpening the political stakes around health care affordability.