08:00 AM PST (November 20, 2025) - N.S. EIC

In a bold new chapter of fiscal fantasy, the American healthcare system is being lovingly torched by the very stewards sworn to protect it. As premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance surge by 7%, outpacing the average wage growth of 3.1%, Republican lawmakers have responded with the only logical move: a 50-day paid vacation and a $3 billion ballroom for President Trump’s leisure waltzes.

Welcome to the Affordable Careless Act, brought to you by the Trump administration’s decision to let ACA subsidies expire at the end of 2025. These subsidies once cushioned the cost of coverage for over 22 million Americans, but now insurers are left with a shrinking pool of healthy enrollees and a growing pile of bills. The result? Premiums are expected to double on average for ACA plans in 2026, with some unlucky souls facing tripling or quadrupling.

But don’t worry, if you’re one of the 165 million Americans with employer-sponsored insurance, you’ll only see a 6–7% increase in premiums, plus higher deductibles and out-of-pocket costs. That’s just the price of patriotism, baby.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has slapped tariffs on medications and medical supplies, ensuring that even your Band-Aids come with a side of inflation. Prescription drug spending among large employers jumped 9.4% in 2025, thanks in part to the GLP-1 weight-loss drug boom and the administration’s “America First, Patients Last” pricing strategy.

As Americans juggle 10% increases in groceries and energy costs, the GOP has pivoted to its true priorities: Trump’s lawsuit against the DOJ for $230 million, and increased funding for agencies like ICE, CPB, and Homeland Security, because nothing says “healthcare reform” like more border patrol and surveillance.

In a recent press release, the GOP assured voters that they are “monitoring the situation closely from the spa.” Meanwhile, Democrats are left trying to resuscitate the ACA subsidies with CPR and a GoFundMe.

So what’s next? Perhaps a new initiative: Premiums for Patriots™, where every American gets a commemorative ballroom tile in exchange for their deductible. Or maybe a reality show: Survivor: Employer Plan Edition, where contestants compete to keep their coverage while navigating surprise billing and a $11,000 deductible.

One thing’s clear: in the grand GOP gala of governance, healthcare affordability is the coat check ticket they lost somewhere between the caviar and the lawsuit.

Sources: FactCheck.org on ACA subsidy expiration Politico on employer health insurance premium increases Brookings on ACA premium hikes