Press Release  Governor Healey Demands President Trump and Congressional Republicans Take Action to Prevent Health Insurance Premiums from Skyrocketing

Boston — Governor Maura Healey today demanded that President Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans act to extend Affordable Care Act premium tax credits to prevent health care premiums from skyrocketing for hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts residents. 

Because President Trump and Congress let the ACA tax credits expire, nearly 340,000 Massachusetts residents will lose some or all of the help they were getting to afford their health insurance. Premiums will increase by an average of $1,300 a month next year. For some, including seniors and people in rural communities, the increase will be even higher and could reach $25,000 over the course of the year. 

“The price of everything has been going up under President Trump. His tariff taxes are impacting every single American, he chose to cut SNAP benefits, he’s forcing child care centers to close, and he’s taking away heating assistance. With the enrollment period now open, President Trump and Congressional Republicans are causing people’s health care premiums to skyrocket by thousands of dollars next year and kicking thousands of Massachusetts residents off their health insurance all together,” said Governor Healey. “President Trump and Congressional Republicans still have time to fix this. They need to act now to prevent these cost increases and protect people’s access to health care. Meanwhile, we are going to make sure that people in Massachusetts understand what they are facing and why.” 

“In the first week of Open Enrollment, our members are already reaching out to us with worry and confusion as they grapple with stark premium increases due to inaction around enhanced Premium Tax Credits,” said Audrey Morse Gasteier, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Health Connector. “It’s not too late for Congress to act. We are ready to move mountains when an extension is in place, and quickly deliver this vital support to our members.” 

“So many people we see are completely overwhelmed about how they are going to survive going forward,” said Tina Alu, Executive Director of the Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee. “In a country this wealthy, people shouldn’t be put in the situation of choosing between paying rent, feeding their family or having health insurance.” 

These premium increases come after President Trump and Congressional Republicans passed the One Big Beautiful Bill which changes eligibility for the ACA and will result in 85,000 Massachusetts residents losing their Health Connector insurance next year. These changes will further strain hospitals and community health centers as more people go to emergency rooms in the uncompensated care market. It will also cause health care costs to increase for everyone, regardless of insurance. 

The Massachusetts Health Connector provides affordable health insurance for over 400,000 people, including small business owners and middle-income and low-income families and individuals. The enrollment period is currently underway for January 1st plans. The Health Connector has been sending notices to every member letting them know about upcoming changes and why their premiums are going up.  

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