On Christmas Day, West Virginians should be focused on family, faith and the small joys that carry us through the coldest months of the year. Instead, far too many families across our state are staring down something that should never be part of the holiday season: the real possibility of losing their health care on Jan. 1.
With Congress leaving Washington for the holidays without extending the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced subsidies, the reality is now set. These critical affordability measures — lifelines for roughly 67,000 West Virginians — are slated to expire. And paired with the looming threat of Capito Care — or the “Big Beautiful Bill” — which makes the largest cuts to Medicaid in history and destabilizes our coverage system even further, West Virginia families are heading into the new year with more uncertainty than comfort.
The timing could not be more painful. Marketplace premiums are already rising sharply for many families in our state. Parents who found coverage they could finally afford last year are opening renewal notices that show premiums doubling or tripling. Older adults who rely on ACA plans until they reach Medicare age are being told their new premiums will rival a mortgage payment. Families who were budgeting for Christmas have been forced to pull from those same savings to keep their children insured.
And because Congress adjourned without renewing these subsidies, there is no longer time to prevent the immediate impact. The choices households are now facing are brutally simple: pay more than they can afford or go without coverage altogether.
This isn’t how a society should care for its people — especially not during the season that most deeply reflects compassion, generosity, and community.
Here in West Virginia, the consequences land harder than almost anywhere else. Our state has one of the highest percentages of residents relying on Medicaid. We have a large number of older adults, rural families, and workers in physically demanding jobs who depend on reliable, affordable health care to stay healthy and stay employed. Losing subsidies doesn’t just threaten individual families — it strains rural hospitals, weakens local economies and pulls stability out from under entire communities.
And yet, this moment also reflects something deeply true about our state: West Virginians know how to endure hardship, and they know how to fight for what’s right. In every major health care battle of the past decade, our neighbors — patients, caregivers, nurses, faith leaders and advocates — have stepped up to share their stories and stand together. That civic strength didn’t prevent this particular setback, but it will be essential in the weeks and months ahead.
The truth is that while Congress missed the window to prevent the immediate premium spikes, nothing about this outcome is inevitable going forward. Policy choices created this situation, and policy choices in the new year can fix it. There is still time — and still a responsibility — for federal leaders to restore the subsidies, protect Medicaid, and reject proposals like the “Big, Beautiful Bill” that would push even more West Virginians into crisis.
As we head into Christmas, my hope is that lawmakers remember the human impact behind every line of a bill or budget. Health care isn’t a partisan talking point. It’s the insulin a grandmother needs to survive. It’s the cancer screening that catches a problem early. It’s the coverage that lets parents take their child to the doctor without fear of bankruptcy.
At West Virginians for Affordable Health Care, we remain committed to lifting those stories and pushing for solutions that protect every family in our state. This season may bring anxiety for many, but it also brings clarity: West Virginians deserve better. They deserve health care that is reliable, affordable, and treated as the essential foundation it is.
Christmas reminds us to care for our neighbors. As we move into the new year, we must make sure our policies do the same.
- Ellen Allen is the executive director at West Virginians for Affordable Health Care, an organization that brings a consumer voice to public policy so that every West Virginian has quality, affordable health care.
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