Here & Now Anytime Open enrollment is coming. How much will your health insurance cost?
Oct 21, 2025
Brian R. Stokes, a graduate student at the University of Texas, shares his excitement about discovering the grue jay, a rare hybrid between blue jays and green jays, in the wild. He discusses the scientific significance, including the implications of climate and land-use changes on bird hybridization. Additionally, the conversation touches on rising health insurance premiums through the Affordable Care Act and the ongoing violence in the West Bank, highlighting the broader impacts on both health coverage and daily life for residents.
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Subsidies Drive Marketplace Costs
- Enhanced premium tax credits expiring will double or more what many people pay each month for marketplace plans.
- Cynthia Cox explains Congress sets the subsidy formula, not insurers, so policy change can quickly restore help.
Enrollment Surge Focused In Southern States
- Record enrollment in ACA marketplaces grew from ~11–12 million to over 24 million due largely to enhanced subsidies.
- Growth concentrated in southern non‑Medicaid‑expansion states, so those low‑income populations face biggest harm if aid expires.
Middle‑Income Seniors At High Risk
- Middle‑income older adults just above subsidy cutoffs face steep increases because their baseline premiums are already high.
- Cox gives an example: a couple earning ~ $85,000 could see premiums rise by more than $20,000 a year.