Trump told Republicans not to “waste” their time on extending the enhanced ACA subsidies set to expire, saying he’d only support “sending the money directly back to the people.”
Republicans are careening to a health care cliff with no solution in hand. An estimated 22 million people in the U.S. are about to see their health insurance premiums soar by, in some cases, thousands of dollars per month, as billions in funding for the Affordable Care Act expires on Dec. 31. The expiring funds, costing about $35 billion per year, were first passed during the pandemic to subsidize insurance payments, capping premiums for a “benchmark” ACA, or “Obamacare,” plan to 8.5% of income.
I know many/most of you are aware of how bad this is, but I’m still gonna bitch here.
I lost my job as a result of the Trump administration’s policies. While I had other options for health insurance (ex: COBRA), getting an ACA plan made the most sense to me at the time. It was shittier in comparison to what I had at my job (and what I would have retained access to via COBRA), but mostly comparable in the easy to measure ways (i.e. out of pocket costs and coverage of necessary meds) and cost much less than COBRA even without considering those tax credits / subsidies.
Honestly, it was so much work just to figure out which plan made the most sense, I had no idea I needed to check to see if there was a ticking time bomb ready to go off. The new 2026 rates are so much higher with poorer coverage and higher out of pocket expense – worse in pretty much every way you could think. While I may still opt for one of the low tier plans that’s basically catastrophic only + the minimum required coverage, at that price point and for what it provides, I’m sure a lot of people will go without even if they technically could afford the premiums. I know I’m still weighing my options, but it does feel like they took my job then took my access to health care, what next?
COBRA is not a reasonable option for anyone who has just lost their job. It’s fucking insulting.
Bro emmigration is the only escape from that hellhole. It’s simply not worth it for the middle class, they’re getting sucked high and dry, and the Dems only response will be corporate subsidiaries vs billionaires, and “we’re not trump” while nothing meaningful actually gets done and costs rise across the board, and quality of life goes to shit for the average folks. The headlines say it all, either continual infighting leading to nothing, the fall of democracy, or an actual civil war that will be bloody.
Get the fuck out while you still can. A few years into living in another country, you will despise your new home. Then you might visit your family in the USA, and realize holy hell, things actually got worse and your new home is exponentially better, even with all its failings.
Which countries are we able to gain Citizenship? I know some people gained Canadian citizenship through their job. We can’t all move to Canada.
I’m waiting for the next 90 day fiance where some white dude from Florida is trying to marry a south American girl for a green card.