KSHB 41 reporter Elyse Schoenig covers the cities of Shawnee and Mission. She also focuses on issues surrounding the cost of health care, saving for retirement and personal debt. Share your story idea with Elyse.
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Patients who rely on federal subsidies to afford health insurance are grappling with significantly higher premiums after enhanced subsidies through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace expired at the end of 2025.
While standard subsidies (premium tax credits) remain in place, the loss of enhanced relief is forcing people to make difficult budget adjustments as they enter the new year.
Dawn Wheeler, who is approaching her ninth year of chemotherapy treatment, saw her monthly premium jump from $69 to $272 after the enhanced subsidies ended.
"That adds up to thousands more dollars a year, and a lot of that we have to come up with like right away," Wheeler said.
Wheeler said she and her husband have already faced financial challenges over the last decade.
"Our self-employment went way, way, way down," Wheeler said. "My husband had to find a job. We had to use our finances to stay in our house. What savings we had went to that."
She is now hoping to work out payment plans with her specialists to afford her ongoing care.
"I don't know how we're going to do it," Wheeler said.
Sydney Macha, who is also self-employed, faces similar challenges. Her monthly premium increased from $16 to $91 without the enhanced subsidies.
Macha relies on prescriptions, doctors, and treatments for chronic migraines and a connective tissue disorder.
"It's still unaffordable as a person trying to just still work," Macha said.
The uncertainty extends beyond monthly premiums for Macha, who worries about maintaining coverage.
"I have no idea if I'm gonna have insurance or affordable insurance by next year. I don't even know if I'm gonna have that next month, you know," Macha said.
For Macha, the need for subsidies highlights a broader issue with the health care system.
"We just haven't built an affordable care system in America," Macha said.
And for Wheeler, it's an unclear path ahead.
"We're just trying to move forward," she said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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