Is it a problem created by Republicans or Democrats? Or is it a problem created by a system that decided to subsidize private health insurance companies instead of focusing on actually making people healthier?
Because here’s what I think: the real reason the government is shut down, the real reason we’re all arguing about things that don’t matter, is that for the past decade, this country has quietly funded record profits for health insurance companies while pretending we’re fixing healthcare.
I’m not here to defend one side or attack the other. I’m here to tell you what’s really happening — and why 2026 might be the breaking point.
Let’s start with the facts. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was supposed to make health insurance more affordable. And for a while, it did — because the government paid a big chunk of people’s premiums through subsidies. But that money didn’t come out of nowhere. Those subsidies were designed to phase out.
And now, we’re getting close to the end of that timeline.
When those subsidies expire in 2026, millions of Americans who have been partially shielded from rising insurance costs are going to get hit with the full force of the bill. Here’s what’s already happening:
That’s before subsidies expire. Once they do, the average person’s out-of-pocket premium could increase by 136%. Let that sink in. The people who have been paying a few hundred dollars per month could suddenly owe well over a thousand — for the same terrible coverage.
It’s not an accident. It’s the result of how this system was designed. When the ACA rolled out, the government promised to help Americans afford insurance, but instead of making insurance itself cheaper or improving care, it just agreed to cover the difference. That’s like trying to fix the housing crisis by paying landlords whatever rent they ask for. It doesn’t fix the price. It just encourages them to charge more.
So here’s what happened:
That’s how we ended up with insurance companies making billions while patients can’t afford to go to the doctor. Every time a premium went up, the government’s contribution went up with it. There was no incentive to cut costs, no push to improve outcomes — just a guarantee that profits would keep climbing.
And now, when the pressure finally boils over, both sides are pretending it’s the other’s fault.
Democrats point at Republicans for blocking reform. Republicans point at Democrats for passing the ACA in the first place. And in the middle of that shouting match, no one is saying the obvious:
Both sides let this happen. This isn’t about left versus right. It’s about a system that was built to fail regular people and reward the biggest insurance companies in the world.
Every election cycle, both parties act outraged about the cost of healthcare, and then quietly vote to maintain the same structure that keeps those profits flowing. Meanwhile, people like you and me (self-employed, middle-class Americans) are paying more every single year for insurance that covers less and less. So yeah, let’s stop pretending this is about illegals, or liberals, or conservatives. It’s about money. And who keeps getting it.
When these subsidies go away, everything that’s been hidden behind government money comes crashing into view.
For the past decade, people on the ACA marketplace haven’t been paying the real cost of their plans. The federal government has been quietly covering a massive chunk of it.
That’s about to end.
When it does, premiums could double overnight. Not because healthcare suddenly got more expensive — but because the government’s contribution disappears, leaving individuals responsible for the full amount.
And guess what? The companies are already planning for it. They’ve built their pricing models assuming that even after the subsidies expire, they’ll keep raising rates.
We’re not just talking about affordability anymore — we’re talking about accessibility. How do you insure a nation when half the country can’t afford to pay the premiums even before they get sick?
The short answer: you don’t. You just let people fall off the system — and call it “market adjustment.”
Now let’s talk about the numbers that really matter. While most Americans are scraping to pay for basic coverage, the insurance giants are pulling record profits.
You know what that looks like on the ground? It looks like a family paying $15,000 a year in premiums for a plan with a $15,000 deductible.
So even if you’re “insured,” you still have to spend another $15,000 before your plan even starts paying. That’s $30,000 a year for the privilege of being covered.
These are the same companies asking for 30% rate increases. The same ones being approved by the government. This is the same government that calls these plans “affordable.” It’s a joke.
And I say that as someone who literally earns a living from insurance companies paying us for services. I don’t have a personal grudge here, I have perspective. I’ve seen the numbers, the profit margins, the renewals, the premium hikes.
And I can tell you this: the consumer always loses.
Let’s be honest: ACA marketplace plans are garbage. I don’t say that lightly. I say it because it’s true. The deductibles are sky-high, the copays are outrageous, and the provider networks are shrinking every year.
If you’re self-employed like me, you already know — you can’t find a doctor who takes your plan. And if you do, you’ll probably owe half your paycheck by the time you walk out.
We celebrate getting people “coverage,” but the truth is, coverage doesn’t equal care. Having a card in your wallet doesn’t mean you can actually use it without risking bankruptcy. These plans are marketed as affordable, but the math doesn’t lie:
It’s no wonder most Americans hate their insurance. The ACA didn’t fix that — it just changed who gets paid.
My dad told me 25 years ago that the difference between his generation being able to save for retirement and mine would come down to taxes and insurance.
Back then, I didn’t really get it. I was young. Now, as a 40-year-old trying to support a family, I get it completely.
We’re being crushed by both.
My parents could save for retirement. They could afford health insurance. They had predictable costs. Our generation? We’re getting taxed to death, and our insurance premiums are eating the rest. The older I get, the more I realize that the middle class isn’t being squeezed by lifestyle inflation. It’s being squeezed by systems that were supposed to protect it.
And until someone is willing to admit that, we’re not going to fix anything.
Here’s the truth that no one wants to say out loud: You can’t prioritize profit and people’s health at the same time.
In almost every other industry, I’d argue for free markets. Competition works. Efficiency wins. But healthcare doesn’t behave like a normal market. When your kid gets sick, you don’t “shop around.” When you break a bone, you can’t wait for a better quote. And when your insurance company denies a claim, your only option is to fight or pay — and most people can’t do either.
That’s not capitalism. That’s chaos disguised as choice. I’m not saying companies shouldn’t make money. But I am saying healthcare shouldn’t be built on the same profit model as cable TV or fast food.
We’ve allowed a system where insurance companies can raise rates 30% while sitting on billions in profits, and the government just signs off. If that doesn’t tell you something’s broken, I don’t know what will.
Every time someone brings this up, the conversation immediately turns political. And that’s exactly what they want.
Because if we’re busy blaming the other side, we’re not paying attention to the real story — the one about how both sides are letting this happen.
It’s easy to say, “The Republicans did this” or “The Democrats did that.” But the reality is that neither side has fixed it, because neither side benefits from fixing it. The longer the argument goes on, the longer insurance companies get to quietly raise prices and pocket subsidies.
That’s why I say: don’t get trapped by the headlines. Don’t fall for the outrage bait. Start asking who profits from your premiums and how long that game’s been going on.
I don’t pretend to have the perfect answer. But I do know this: what we’re doing now doesn’t work. We can’t just keep throwing subsidies at a broken system. We can’t keep pretending that “access” means “affordable.” And we can’t keep letting billion-dollar companies dictate what healthcare should cost.
Maybe the answer starts with transparency. Maybe it’s reform. Maybe it’s caps on profit margins. I don’t know.
But I do know that we can’t keep rewarding bad behavior — approving 30% rate increases for companies already posting record profits.
And before anyone jumps to defend them, let’s remember: insurance companies don’t treat patients. They don’t heal people. They don’t improve health outcomes. They’re middlemen. And right now, they’re the ones winning.
I’m not here to stir up anger or push an agenda. I’m here because I’ve spent two decades in this industry, and I’ve watched it change into something I don’t recognize, something I don’t even like being part of sometimes.
It’s expensive. It’s inefficient. It doesn’t cover what people need. The ACA was supposed to make things better. Instead, it became a subsidy machine that hides the true cost of healthcare and props up insurance companies that don’t need help.
When those subsidies expire in 2026, the illusion ends. And maybe — just maybe — that’s what it’ll take for people to finally see what’s really going on.
Because until someone stands up and says, “We messed up,” this system isn’t going anywhere. And the next shutdown won’t be about politics… It'll be about people who can’t afford to stay insured.
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