Community

Nearly 5 Million Americans Lose ACA Health Coverage as Subsidies Expire

COMMUNITY VOICE (KS) — Nearly five million Americans have lost health insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace this year. This decline follows the expiration of enhanced federal subsidies, resulting in higher premiums that led many consumers to drop or forgo coverage. Total enrollment in Marketplace plans decreased from 24.2 million in 2025 to 19.2 million this year.

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4 months ago

July 2, 2026

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Nearly 5 Million Americans Lose ACA Health Coverage as Subsidies Expire

Nearly 5 million Americans have lost health insurance through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace this year after enhanced federal subsidies expired, with new federal data showing that higher premiums led many consumers to forgo or drop coverage.

More than 1 million fewer people enrolled in Marketplace plans for 2026, while another 4 million people either canceled their coverage or stopped paying their premiums, reducing total enrollment from a record 24.2 million people in 2025 to 19.2 million this year.

The subsidies became one of the major issues in the congressional spending debate late last year. Democrats fought to extend the enhanced tax credits, warning that millions of Americans would lose health insurance if premiums rose sharply. Republicans declined to renew the subsidies, allowing them to expire at the end of 2025.

The enhanced subsidies, first approved during the COVID-19 pandemic and later extended, significantly reduced monthly premiums for millions of Americans. Congress allowed those subsidies to expire at the end of 2025.

Premiums Jumped for Many Consumers

The expiration of the subsidies dramatically increased what many Marketplace customers had to pay each month.

While many consumers switched to less expensive plans, health policy researchers estimate that those who remained in the same plan would have faced average premium increases of more than 100% after the enhanced subsidies ended.

Health policy experts say those higher costs are a major reason millions of Americans no longer have Marketplace coverage.

“We know that real people lost their health insurance coverage,” said Cynthia Cox, vice president and director of the Affordable Care Act program at the health policy organization KFF. “This coverage loss happened at the same time millions of people faced double- or even triple-digit increases in their premium payments.”

Kansas Consumers Face Additional Challenge

The loss of coverage may have an even greater impact in Kansas because the state has not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.

In states that expanded Medicaid, some lower-income residents who lose Marketplace coverage may qualify for Medicaid instead. In Kansas, many adults who can no longer afford Marketplace plans do not qualify for Medicaid and may have no affordable coverage option.

Kansas consumers also faced higher insurance costs this year. According to the Kansas Health Institute, the average benchmark Silver plan premium for a Kansas family of four increased 28.9% for 2026 — the largest increase since 2019. That increase reflects insurance premium hikes alone and does not include the additional cost many families faced after losing the enhanced federal subsidies.

Middle-Income Families Hit Hard

One of the biggest surprises in the new enrollment data is who was most affected.

Nearly half of the decline in Marketplace enrollment came from households earning more than 400% of the federal poverty level — about $64,000 for an individual or $131,000 for a family of four in 2026.

During the past several years, those middle-income families qualified for enhanced subsidies that lowered their monthly premiums. When the subsidies expired, many lost that financial assistance altogether.

Although they represented only about 7% of Marketplace enrollees, they accounted for 48% of the overall decline in enrollment this year.

Debate Continues

The new enrollment figures have renewed the debate over why Marketplace enrollment fell so sharply.

Democrats argue the numbers confirm what they warned would happen during last year’s budget negotiations: that allowing the enhanced subsidies to expire would make health insurance unaffordable for millions of Americans, forcing many to drop their coverage.

Republican officials point to another factor. They say the Trump administration’s efforts to remove fraudulent and ineligible Marketplace enrollments also contributed to the decline. Administration officials have argued that tighter eligibility verification reduced enrollment by eliminating improper enrollments rather than simply pricing people out of coverage.

Health policy experts say both factors likely played a role but note that the timing of the enrollment decline coincided with substantial premium increases after the enhanced subsidies expired. They also point to evidence that many consumers who remained in the same health plans would have faced premium increases averaging more than 100%, making coverage unaffordable for many households.

The post Nearly 5 Million Americans Lose ACA Health Coverage as Subsidies Expire appeared first on The Community Voice.

Based on reporting by Community Voice (KS).

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Mayor Barbara Lee Holds Special State of the City Address in Deep East Oakland

In partnership with Rise East and the 40×40 Council, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee held a special 2026 State of the City East Oakland community conversation on Oct. 14. The purpose of bringing a State of the City address directly to the community was to celebrate East Oakland, highli

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2 days ago

October 19, 2026

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Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, left. moderated a community chat with (l.to r.) Selena Wilson, CEO of the East Oakland Youth Development Center; Carolyn “CJ” Johnson, CEO of the Black Cultural Zone; Dr. Noha Aboelata, CEO of Roots Health Center and Greg Hodge, CEO of the Brotherhood of Elders.

By Special to The Post

In partnership with Rise East and the 40×40 Council, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee held a special 2026 State of the City East Oakland community conversation on Oct. 14.

The purpose of bringing a State of the City address directly to the community was to celebrate East Oakland, highlight the work underway, and look ahead to what neighbors, local businesses, youth, funders, community organizations, and partners can accomplish together.

Held at the Roots Community Health/Parker Elementary School Campus at 7929 Ney Ave., the event was emceed by special guest Mark Curry, Oakland native, comedian, and actor.

Lee shared how Rise East and the 40×40 Council have brought together the knowledge, relationships, and resources of people and organizations committed to East Oakland.

Residents bring lived experience, community organizations bring trusted relationships and philanthropy, and businesses bring resources and opportunity, she said, then turned to the government’s role: public investment, services and policy.

But, Lee intoned, City Hall has a responsibility to help connect those efforts.

“I am committed to listening to residents, working across departments and sectors, and helping open doors to opportunity. We must connect neighborhood priorities to the decisions we make about housing, economic development, safety, health and our young people.

City Hall “must be accountable for the results,” Lee said. “The measure of success is what families experience: greater stability, more opportunity and a stronger sense that they belong and have a future here.

“Tonight is an opportunity to listen to the leaders doing this work, learn what is making a difference and identify where we can do more together,” the mayor said.

Lee went on to moderate a ‘fireside chat’ on the theme: Building Oakland’s Future Together — From Neighborhood Investment to Community Empowerment with:

Selena Wilson, CEO, East Oakland Youth Development Center
Greg Hodge, CEO, Brotherhood of Elders
Carolyn “CJ” Johnson, CEO, Black Cultural Zone
Dr. Noha Aboelata, CEO, Roots Health Center

Mayor Barbara Lee’s media relations department provided this report.

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Black History

Practitioners of African Traditional Spirituality Offer Ancestral Reverence Ritual Oct. 31

The Council for Global Ancestral Reverence will host “Ancestral Souls Rising” from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, featuring a three-day gathering of prayer and discussion. Led by elders and priests across the African diaspora, the seventh annual ritual honors those lost without traditional rites while addressing current social challenges. This year’s event connects ancestral wisdom with contemporary issues, including a two-day conversation inspired by Afro-Beat music focused on Black community solidarity and the sacred importance of voting. Read more for details on the ritual schedule and participants.

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2 days ago

October 19, 2026

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Oakland native Nedra Williams writes sacred symbols on the ground in San Leandro. Courtesy photo.

By Special to The Post

The Council for Global Ancestral Reverence (C4GAR), a group of elders who practice African traditional spirituality, will lead a three-day gathering of prayer and discussion from Oct. 31-Nov. 2.

Called ‘Ancestral Souls Rising,’ the council members and 21 priests will lead the prayers from many parts of the African diaspora: Africa, Portugal, and across the U.S. from Maryland to the Bay Area.

Now in its seventh year, the annual ritual began during the 2020 pandemic when hundreds of thousands of people died alone and were buried in mass graves without rites and rituals according to loved ones’ traditions.

This prayer event was and is intended to give peace to the departed and comfort for the living who still mourn. Each year, we gather names of new ancestors from living elders to elevate them into the “Great Hall of the Titans.”

In ensuing years, C4GAR added themes to the prayer gathering that referenced current events. In 2024, before the consequential presidential election, C4GAR called on people to vote, invoking the memory of Civil Rights Movement heroes and heroines like John Lewis, who urged “Good Trouble,” and Fannie Lou Hamer, who famously declared that she was “sick and tired of being sick and tired.”

The day of global Prayer on Oct. 31 will be followed by a two-day conversation inspired by “The Blueprint,” an Afro-Beat song by UyiosaEl, to write our new blueprint that supports solidarity and action in the Black community.

“Our elders have, for many generations, known the power of prayer, ritual and breath,” the council said in a statement.

It was and is their intention, then, to use the cultural wisdom, the gift of prayer “and the most sacred thing we have, our breath, to send energy into the world that invokes and honors our ancestors,” the council statement continued.

“Doing this creates a vibration that protects us and employs their ancient wisdom for the well-being of our communities,” the elders said.

The councilmembers, all over the age of 60, recognize that what is now history for so many was once their lived experience. And that history, those joys and sorrows, are now in their bodies.

To them, the uttered prayer and the sacred breath are oaths to an unfolding future that people can still shape.

The council members are Dr. Iyabeji Cathy Royal, Iyalocha Jennifer Dillard, Manbo Charlene Desir (Florida), Nana Sula Spirit (Louisiana), Baba Obafemi Feyemi, Ohen Nedra T. Williams, and Iyalocha Wanda Ravernell-Stewart Emeritus (Oakland).

This year, they also encourage everyone within their reach to VOTE because it is not only a secular and political act, but a sacred one. Remember, the ancestors were denied that right and died for it.

For tickets, go to:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/council-for-global-ancestral-reverence-presents-ancestral-souls-rising-26-tickets-2003127345814?aff=oddtdtcreator

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Community

It’s Time to Lose Weight Before the Holidays

Licensed internist Dr. H. Geoffrey Watson has joined gastroenterologist Dr. Ralph Peterson at Oakland’s MacArthur GI to address the rising obesity epidemic. With U.S. obesity rates reaching 42.4%, the clinic offers supervised weight-loss programs and screenings for fatty liver disease. Treatments include dietary counseling and various medications, such as GLP-1 receptor agonists, which regulate digestion and appetite. As certain populations continue to be disproportionately affected by chronic health conditions, medical experts are highlighting new tools available to help patients reach their goals before the holiday season. Read more.

Published

2 days ago

October 19, 2026

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By Special to The Post

Dr. H. Geoffrey Watson, a licensed internist, has joined renowned gastroenterologist Dr. Ralph Peterson at MacArthur GI in Oakland to address obesity, provide supervised weight-loss programs including GLP-1 therapy, and screen for and treat fatty liver disease.

The Obesity Epidemic

Obesity is associated with numerous chronic health problems, including hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, sleep apnea, asthma, depression, joint disorders, fatty liver disease, and high cholesterol. Its causes include genetics, environment, stress, medication side effects, hormonal imbalances, and other factors.

Since 1999, the prevalence of obesity in the United States has risen from 30.5% to 42.4%. Childhood obesity rates are also climbing, with approximately 19.3% of children and adolescents now affected.

Measuring Obesity: Body Mass Index

Obesity is measured using a formula called the Body Mass Index (BMI). You can calculate your own BMI on most smartphones by searching “BMI calculator” and entering your height and weight. A BMI of 25 to 29.9 is classified as overweight, and a BMI of 30 or greater is classified as obese.

Populations Disproportionately Affected

Obesity affects certain populations at higher rates. Among U.S. adults, obesity prevalence is 49.9% in Black adults, 45.6% in Hispanic adults, 41.4% in White adults, and 16.1% in Asian adults.

Treatment Options

A variety of treatments are available for obesity, including dietary counseling, exercise programs, bariatric surgery, and anti-obesity medications.

Common oral medications include:

• Adipex (phentermine): A stimulant that works by suppressing appetite.

• Contrave (bupropion/naltrexone): A combination of an antidepressant and an anti-addiction medication that helps control appetite and cravings.

• Qsymia (phentermine/topiramate): A combination of a stimulant and an anti-seizure medication that reduces appetite and cravings.

GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Therapy

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists were originally approved to treat type 2 diabetes. GLP-1 is a hormone produced naturally by the body that regulates digestion, blood sugar, and appetite by communicating with GLP-1 receptor cells throughout the digestive tract. These medications reduce cravings, appetite, and food intake by influencing the hunger hormones ghrelin, which stimulates hunger, and leptin, which signals fullness.

What We Offer

Drs. Peterson and Watson provide FDA-approved tirzepatide injections, a GLP-1 receptor agonist medication indicated for weight management. Each patient receives a comprehensive history and physical examination to ensure the safety and appropriateness of the medication as part of an overall weight-loss protocol. Dr. Peterson also offers ultrasound screening for fatty liver disease.

We look forward to helping you reach your weight-loss goals and feel your best this holiday season.

H. Geoffrey Watson, M.D., runs the MacArthur GI Clinic at 10520 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA. He can be reached at (510) 562-7467.