{"id":118112,"date":"2026-01-22T13:54:59","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T18:54:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/punch-in-the-gut-west-virginia-woman-tells-congress-her-obamacare-premium-jumped-323-118112"},"modified":"2026-01-22T13:54:59","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T18:54:59","slug":"punch-in-the-gut-west-virginia-woman-tells-congress-her-obamacare-premium-jumped-323","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/punch-in-the-gut-west-virginia-woman-tells-congress-her-obamacare-premium-jumped-323-118112","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Punch in the gut\u2019: West Virginia woman tells Congress her Obamacare premium jumped 323%"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

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<\/a> CEOs over rising costs and the future of the Affordable Care Act.<\/p>\n

“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.<\/p>\n

“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.<\/p>\n

EXPIRED OBAMACARE SUBSIDY DEAL INCHES TOWARD SENATE FLOOR VOTE AMID BIPARTISAN TALKS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

“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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

“That\u2019s a lot to ask of a hardworking American who has worked every day of her adult and teen life,” she told lawmakers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

SEN JIM JUSTICE SAYS REPUBLICANS ARE ‘LOUSY’ AT KNOWING WHAT EVERYDAY AMERICANS THINK ABOUT HEALTHCARE<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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 \u2014 including self-employed workers, small business owners and ranchers who do not qualify for Medicaid or Medicare.<\/p>\n

“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.<\/p>\n

Allen warned that the loss of those tax credits is forcing families to make painful financial trade-offs.<\/p>\n

“There\u2019s 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.”<\/p>\n

She called on lawmakers <\/a>to reverse course.<\/p>\n

“This is fixable. Congress can act now to restore and make permanent the ACA\u2019s expanded premium tax credits. Doing so would save lives, protect families, and strengthen our economy.”<\/p>\n

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

Source – https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/a-punch-gut-west-virginia-woman-tells-congress-her-obamacare-premium-jumped-323 <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"twitter_2902945987_2902945987":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[16563],"tags":[],"stock_ticker":[],"class_list":["post-118112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-market-news","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018Punch in the gut\u2019: West Virginia woman tells Congress her Obamacare premium jumped 323% - Wall Street PR<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/punch-in-the-gut-west-virginia-woman-tells-congress-her-obamacare-premium-jumped-323-118112\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018Punch in the gut\u2019: West Virginia woman tells Congress her Obamacare premium jumped 323% - 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