The Brian Lehrer Show The ACA Subsidy Fight and Health Inequities
Nov 20, 2025
Uché Blackstock, an emergency medicine physician and founder of Advancing Health Equity, dives deep into the critical issues surrounding ACA subsidies and their impact on health inequities. She warns that expiring subsidies threaten coverage for millions, risking a public health crisis. Blackstock explains rising healthcare costs and the fragile nature of Marketplace growth. She addresses systemic bias in healthcare, particularly how eroded trust and political choices affect public health, and advocates for community-centered solutions.
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Subsidy Expiry Risks A Public-Health Crisis
- Expiring ACA subsidies risk triggering a widening public-health crisis by making coverage unaffordable for millions.
- Uché Blackstock warns that losing subsidies forces families to choose between health care and basic needs, worsening outcomes.
Market Forces, Not Patients, Drive Cost Rises
- Rising healthcare prices, deducible increases, drug costs, and hospital consolidation drive up premiums for consumers.
- Blackstock argues these market forces are treated as background while policy shifts push costs onto patients.
Marketplace Renewal Shock From One Enrollee
- Mandy, a self-employed marketplace enrollee, faced a jump from $153 to $688 monthly without tax credits and found no cheaper viable plans.
- Her experience shows how removing subsidies can leave people effectively uninsured despite many plan options.
