TL/DR –
Over 48,000 Rhode Islanders who depend on HealthSource RI for health insurance are facing massive premium increases due to the expiration of Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced tax credits. As a consequence, around 13,000 are predicted to lose coverage, placing strain on the state’s healthcare system and driving up costs for others. U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, along with other advocates, are urging Congress to extend the ACA tax credits to prevent these spikes in healthcare premiums.
Health Insurance Premiums Skyrocketing for Rhode Islanders Due to Lapsed ACA Tax Credits
Over 48,000 Rhode Islanders who depend on HealthSource RI for health insurance are now facing significant increases in their premiums. The surges are due to the failure in extending the critical Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced tax credits that expired on January 1, 2026. This is expected to lead to an estimated 13,000 Rhode Islanders losing their health insurance, putting further stress on the state’s healthcare system and raising costs for the remaining insured individuals.
Call for Extension of ACA Tax Credits to Curb Increasing Health Insurance Costs
U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, along with the Protect Our Healthcare Coalition, are calling on Congress to extend the ACA tax credits to prevent further inflation of Rhode Island families’ healthcare premiums. They emphasized that this issue is not confined to Rhode Island but is affecting millions of Americans due to the policies of President Trump and Congressional Republican leaders.
The ACA tax credits, which are scaled according to income, are critical for lower- and middle-income individuals. With the expiration of these enhanced subsidies, enrollees are facing an average increase of 101 percent in their health premiums. Some are even seeing their costs rise by a staggering 500 percent. Consequently, Rhode Island’s economy is also at risk of losing nearly $60 million in federal health subsidies, along with tens of millions of dollars in federal funding that would have been allocated to local healthcare providers.
Impact on Rhode Islanders
Shamus Durac, co-chair of the Protect Our Healthcare Coalition, expressed concern about the affordability of health coverage for Rhode Islanders due to the expiration of the enhanced tax credits. Without a swift resolution, many Rhode Islanders risk losing the coverage they need for doctor visits, prescription medicines, and overall health.
Lindsay Lang, the Director of HealthSource RI, also shared concerns about the fear and uncertainty customers are experiencing about their ability to stay covered, especially given the significantly higher premiums and the choice for less comprehensive coverage.
Urgent Need for Extension
Senators Reed and Whitehouse are advocating for an immediate U.S. Senate vote to pass a clean, three-year extension of the enhanced ACA tax credits. On January 8, the U.S. House of Representatives voted favorably for a bipartisan bill to extend ACA premium tax credits by three years, showing promising momentum for a positive Senate vote.
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