"It's feeding time for the animals on this property outside Nashville. An albino raccoon named Cricket reaches through the wires of its cage to grab an animal cracker an appetizer treat right before the evening meal. "Cricket is blind," said Robert Sory, who is trying to open a nonprofit animal sanctuary along with his wife Emily. "A lot of our animals come to us with issues.""
"Both Robert and Emily will start 2026 without health insurance. Robert had been covered through a marketplace plan subsidized through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace. His share of the monthly premiums? Zero dollars. When he looked up the rates for 2026, he saw a barebones "Bronze" plan would cost him at least $70 a month. He's decided to forgo coverage altogether. "When you don't have any income coming in, it doesn't matter how cheap it is," he said. "It's not affordable.""
A Nashville-area couple running an animal sanctuary will begin 2026 without health insurance after losing jobs and employer coverage. Robert previously paid zero monthly premiums on an ACA marketplace plan because of enhanced subsidies; projected 2026 rates show a barebones Bronze plan costing at least $70 per month, prompting the couple to forgo coverage. An estimated 4.8 million people may lose subsidized marketplace coverage as enhanced subsidies expire. The couple plans for uninsured care and already experienced high out-of-pocket costs, with one spouse paying $184 for three monthly prescriptions.
#aca-marketplace #enhanced-subsidies-expiration #uninsured-population #prescription-drug-costs #animal-sanctuary
Read at www.npr.org
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