What the hell? from KFF Health News: The State of the Affordable Care Act

What the hell? from KFF Health News: The State of the Affordable Care Act

The host

Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner @julierovner.bsky.social

Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of the weekly news podcast “What the Health?” on health policy from KFF Health News. Julie is a well-known health policy expert and author of the critically acclaimed reference work Health Care Politics and Policy A to Z, now in its third edition.

Open enrollment for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act began Nov. 1, but it remains unclear how much the estimated 24 million Americans who shop on the ACA marketplaces will likely pay in premiums starting in January. Unless Congress decides to extend the tax credits added to the program in 2021, most consumers are expected to contribute much more out of pocket; in some cases even double or triple what they will pay in 2025.

The politics of this year's ACA fight are also complicated. Democrats are using their only leverage – a government shutdown – to force Republicans to negotiate over the expiring ACA tax credits. But many, if not most, of the people who will face significantly higher premiums in 2026 come from Republican-dominated states like Texas and Florida and are in professions that lean more Republican than Democratic, such as farmers and ranchers or small business owners.

In this special episode of “What the Health?” From KFF Health News and WAMU, host Julie Rovner speaks with Cynthia Cox, vice president at KFF and program director for the ACA. Cox explains what the country's health care system looked like before the health care law was passed, how it contributed to lower health care spending and better insurance coverage, and the peculiar politics of the current battle.

Guest

Cynthia Cox KFF

Credits

• Taylor Cook Audioproduzent
• Stephanie Stapleton Herausgeberin

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