Healthcare costs set to skyrocket

Without congressional action, millions could lose health care coverage and even more could see health care costs increase by thousands each year

WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 22, 2025) — On Nov. 1, Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces in most states will begin to open for enrollment for next year. Unless Congress acts, more than 90% of people enrolled in ACA health care plans will see out-of-pocket premiums jump by more than 75% on average, warns the AFL-CIO. Moreover, millions of working families could lose coverage altogether when a key tax credit drops at the end of the year.

This has a ripple effect; higher costs for Affordable Care Act health care plans ultimately will result in higher health care costs for everyone—including people who get their health insurance through their jobs, like most union members.

Right now, 22 million people receive tax credits to make their coverage found through ACA marketplaces more affordable, an essential lifeline. These working families will see costs skyrocket, and may lose coverage altogether. In Washington state, nearly 422,000 people could lose coverage in the next decade, estimates the office of Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal.

Cost increases don’t stop there. Combined with the Medicaid cuts that Republicans in D.C. pushed through this year, ending the Affordable Care Act tax credits would raise health care costs as much as $485 per person a year for the 179 million people with employment-based insurance, per analysis by the AFL-CIO. That’s nearly $2,000 more a year in health care costs for a family of four.

Higher prices on groceries, housing, electricity and other essentials are already straining the pocketbooks of working families across the U.S. While recently passed federal legislation gives massive tax cuts to the ultrawealthy and big corporations, working families are facing cuts to essential public services, further driving up costs.  

Republicans had a chance to stop YOUR health care premiums from going up—they chose to skip town instead.

Now, health care costs are going to skyrocket—by as much as 21% in WA state alone.

Democrats are doing everything we can to force Republicans to address this crisis. pic.twitter.com/kEEWZhzUps

— Senator Patty Murray (@PattyMurray) September 21, 2025

And local economic impacts go beyond cost increases. Cuts to ACA credits would result in a loss of 130,000 health care jobs. Combined with the $900 billion in Medicaid cuts the Trump administration and Republicans passed earlier this year, this means approximately 607,000 health care jobs in total would be lost, estimates the AFL-CIO.

Facing these disastrous outcomes, the AFL-CIO is calling on union members to contact their congressional representatives and urge them to fight for a permanent extension of ACA tax credits to stabilize the marketplace, prevent a massive spike in healthcare costs, and protect the health and wellbeing of millions of working families.

Washington’s senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray are both staunch defenders of health care. Still, it’s important to contact their offices for two reasons; first, it helps the Senators demonstrate to their colleagues the urgency to act, and second, it’s an opportunity to thank them and their staff for standing up for working families.

TAKE A STAND: Urge Congress to extend ACA tax credits and stop health care price spikes. Use this form from the AFL-CIO to make a call today.