Tax Fight 2026
How H.R. 1 is stealing healthcare from 15 million Americans and raising prices for another 22 million
03. 20. 2026
H.R.1 is a Healthcare Heist
American families are sick and tired of sky-high costs and barely getting by. Yet last summer, the majority in Congress passed a tax bill that is taking away their healthcare and raising costs on American families to deliver billions of dollars in new tax cuts to their wealthy donors. Between gutting Medicaid and CHIP and letting ACA tax credits expire, H.R. 1 will kick 15 million Americans off their health insurance and has more than doubled premiums for 22 million who got their insurance through the ACA marketplace. As families across America struggle to afford medical care, health insurance companies and pharmaceutical monopolies—and their wealthy CEOs and shareholders—get another round of record tax breaks.
H.R. 1’s Healthcare Prescription: Pay More, Get Less, Suffer Needlessly
Americans deserve higher-quality, affordable healthcare—not to pay more for less, and especially not to fund tax cuts for billionaires. The Republican-led tax bill cut nearly $1.1 trillion from healthcare and will kick 15 million Americans off their coverage. Here’s a quick breakdown of the damage:
- Already more than 1 million drop in Marketplace enrollment since 2025, a number that will only grow as premium payments lapse. At least 21 states have lost at least one insurer in 2026 and those that remain have raised their premiums.
- 7.5 million people will lose Medicaid coverage by 2034 due to federal cuts and new work requirements. States have already started cutting programs, benefits and provider rates to reduce spending, and the worst provisions have yet to take effect.
- Premium costs have more than doubled for 22 million ACA marketplace enrollees with the expiration of EPTCs. This will also cause another 4.2 million Americans to lose coverage, including at least 2 million with chronic conditions like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.
Because of H.R. 1:
- 22 million Americans who get their health insurance on the ACA marketplace are paying higher premiums to keep their health insurance.
- 5 million small business owners and self-employed workers who rely on these credits to keep their businesses afloat have seen their premiums increase.
- 15 million Americans who are currently insured will lose their health coverage
- 7.5 million people will lose coverage because of the massive Medicaid cuts in this bill
- 4.2 million people will lose coverage because the bill fails to extend EPTCs
- 3 million people will lose coverage because of ACA cuts and a Trump-era rule that weakens ACA standards
- Americans who manage to keep their insurance will pay at least $1,000 more a year on average in premiums. But there will be extreme variability based on personal details:
- A 60-year-old couple making $82,000 (401% FPL)now pays more than $1,500 a month for their premium.
- A family of four making $126,000 (403% FPL) pays nearly $700 more a month.
- A 45-year-old single person making $32,000 (212% FPL) pays $100 more a month.
- 300 rural hospitals will be at risk of shuttering immediately due to Medicaid and Medicare cuts. When people can’t get care in their own communities, they have to travel farther, which can have devastating consequences, like straining emergency rooms, and delaying lifesaving care.