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r/HealthcareReform_US

▲ 1.7k r/HealthcareReform_US+1 crossposts

One night spent in a hospital

I have no intention of paying it, and Medicaid said they weren’t paying it. People in other countries question whether US healthcare is really that unaffordable

u/crispysockz — 2 days ago
▲ 31 r/HealthcareReform_US

ACA enrollment is collapsing in real time. Georgia just saw a 28% drop in premium payments in a single month.

The enhanced subsidies that kept ACA premiums affordable expired at the end of 2025. Here's what happened next:

  • Average premiums jumped 26% in 2026
  • Average deductibles grew 37%, from $2,759 to $3,786, the steepest single-year increase ever recorded
  • 21% of federal marketplace enrollees failed to pay their January premiums
  • Georgia saw a 28% drop in premium payments in April vs April 2025
  • New Jersey hit an 11.6% payment failure rate
  • Wakely Consulting Group estimates total 2026 enrollment will end up 17% to 26% lower than 2025

The people who didn't drop coverage entirely mostly downgraded. Bronze plan enrollment jumped from 30% to 40% of all selections, which means millions of people are now technically insured but carrying $3,786 deductibles they likely can't afford to use.

New Mexico is the only state that actually held the line, they used state funds to cover the subsidy gap themselves.

The 2027 rates aren't finalized yet but analysts aren't expecting things to improve. Insurers are pricing in ongoing enrollment decline and uncertainty, which tends to push premiums higher, which pushes more people out, which pushes premiums higher again.

How bad does this have to get before it becomes a political emergency?

Source

u/Novel-Lifeguard6491 — 2 days ago
▲ 4.4k r/HealthcareReform_US+5 crossposts

This guy is calling a hospital on behalf of a new mom who was charged $1,847,392 because her baby was premature and needed to stay alive long enough to come home.

u/CantStopPoppin — 8 days ago
▲ 3.0k r/HealthcareReform_US+5 crossposts

A man goes to the ER for high blood pressure in the U.S. and was there for less than 24 hours. No surgery. No scans. The bill comes back at $41,297 — even AFTER he’s paid his FULL out-of-pocket max. This isn’t healthcare — it’s extortion. In Canada this would be completely free...

u/Northern_Blue_Jay — 10 days ago
▲ 11 r/HealthcareReform_US

My opinion on healthcare

I understand why some people believe healthcare should be mostly private, because competition can encourage better services and innovation. However, I respectfully disagree because I think healthcare is a basic human need, and everyone should have access to affordable medical care regardless of their income.

Let’s have a respectful debate about this topic.

reddit.com
u/IntroductionBorn3836 — 6 days ago
▲ 26 r/HealthcareReform_US+1 crossposts

the hospital is charging me $800 for a visit and even that feels like a lot

I know it isn't a lot, I have great insurance thank God, but even $800 is so much to me. my last paycheck was around $700 because of lost wages, and I feel so stuck because I don't know how to go about this. like can you even do payment plans?

I also found out that I have another medical bill for about $600 that I thought was handled. Back in Oct. 2025 I went to a gynecologist they did a test, and the lab sent me a bill in January for $600. I called them about it and they said they put my insurance info in wrong and that they fixed it. A couple of days ago I got another bill from them and it looks like nothing changed. I'm not even on the insurance I was on when I got that test because I was on my mom's, now I have insurance through my job and there's no way they'd cover that bill.

I know at the end of the day it isn't a lot of medical debt in comparison to a lot of other people in the US, but I live in one of the most expensive counties in the US and it feels like my fiance and I are barely holding ourselves above water. if it weren't for the fact that I knew I would need the good insurance because of my disability we would have been in even more debt and I know I should be lucky, but I'm navigating my health issues blindly on $23/hour and am barely holding it together mentally. I had to tell the inpatient facility I was in that I couldn't stay for long because my job doesn't offer sick leave and I can't afford to be there, so now I'm out but still suffering mentally and trying to hold it together because this is my first full time job and it pays a lot better than some of the other retail jobs in the area.

I just feel stuck, I don't know what to do. I also have $1,500 on my credit card which again isn't a lot in the grand scheme of things, I just feel so overwhelmed as I just left the hospital two weeks ago and haven't fully recovered.

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u/pinkheartedrobe-xs — 8 days ago
▲ 51 r/HealthcareReform_US+3 crossposts

Healthcare in every country but the US administration costs between 10 to 17 percent. In American healthcare it costs 30 percent. They are embezzling healthcare and using that to cover it up.

reddit.com
u/Budget_Gas_2824 — 9 days ago