Last year, a fight over Affordable Care Act enhanced subsidies — and the threat of health care costs spiking — resulted in the longest government shutdown in American history. After 43 days, the government reopened without a deal.
And when the subsidies expired at the end of the 2025, premiums for millions of Americans significantly increased, creating a financial strain for some families and small business owners.
Kerri VanMeveren, founder and CEO of Amazing Traditions in Belton, Missouri, said the Affordable Care Act was a lifeline when she first enrolled. It allowed her to leave corporate America to start her own business knowing she’d have an accessible health care policy.
VanMeveren said her premiums tripled in the new year.
“The plan that I had last year was not available,” VanMeveren said. “I had to choose a plan that had much higher deductibles, much higher out of pocket, higher co-pays. And so for me, it's become a risk policy, not a health care policy.”
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, about one-half of adult individual marketplace enrollees are small business owners or small business employees, or they're self employed.
VanMeveren said she’s losing out on potential employees who can’t accept job offers because they need insurance coverage — which at this rate, she can’t provide.
The marketplace saw an estimated 800,000 fewer enrollments this year. Higher premiums are causing some people to drop coverage, while others are opting not to sign up.
Tepring Crocker, co-owner of Mudnet in Overland Park, Kansas, was planning to buy a new car this year and beginning to plan for retirement. Then the premiums for her family increased by roughly $1,000 per month.
“We've had to adjust our business a fair amount,” Crocker said.
Crocker said she had to raise rates at her web design company and bring on another developer.
“It's put us in the position of having to ramp up our business when we were kind of hoping to glide into retirement in the next five to 10 years,” Crocker said.
Crocker said she’s disappointed in Congress, and disagrees with some of the spending allocations in the president’s spending bill.
“If we can afford to subsidize private jets for billion-dollar profitable companies, then we as a nation can afford to subsidize essential health care for 5 million small business owners who create jobs, support their families, live and spend in their local economies,” Crocker said.
- Tepring Crocker, co-owner and partner, Netmud, LLC
- Kerri VanMevern, founder and CEO, Amazing Traditions, LLC
