Capitol Hill reporter Manu Raju is warning that things are about to get "really bad" in 2026 when it comes to costs Americans will face.
Speaking on the "Inside Politics" lunchtime panel, host Dana Bash cited the Kaiser Family Foundation's data revealing that the average yearly premium for health insurance will increase from $888 in 2025, to $1,904 for 2026 because subsidies for the Affordable Care Act are set to expire at the end of the year.
Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (Penn.) is in a district won by Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in 2024. Speaking to Raju on Sunday, he acknowledged that "affordability is a crisis" and it extends beyond health care costs.
"And this is just been the issue that has dogged Republicans for what now? Fifteen years? What to do about health care?" said Raju. "This is such a divisive issue. You have the people who want to rely on the private market. Or now there's talk about providing subsidies directly to the American public. That's something that Donald Trump has talked about, that does not have broad support, even among Republicans."
Lawmakers like Fitzpatrick "want to extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies for a couple of years, with some changes," said Raju. GOP "Senator Susan Collins of Maine is working with Bernie Moreno, a conservative member, on this issue. She's, of course, up for reelection, one of the toughest races in the country. But again, that does not have broad support — extending the Obamacare subsidies."
He explained that neither House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) nor Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) believes in extending the subsidies.
"At the same time as Brian Fitzpatrick and others are saying, people are going to feel the pain. It's going to get really bad and the backlash could be severe heading into the midterms," Raju closed.