Nebraska For Us, experts lead discussion on rising health care costs
Local coalition urges Reps. Bacon and Flood to permanently extend health care tax credits
OMAHA, Nebraska (November 4, 2025)—Former Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure joined Nebraska For Us for a virtual roundtable to discuss the sticker shock more than 135,000 Nebraskans are experiencing as Republicans in Congress force health care tax credits to expire. At the same time, tens of thousands of additional Nebraskans face the risk of losing access to Medicaid thanks to cuts in the Republican Tax Law that Congressmen Don Bacon and Mike Flood voted for.
“At the start of this year, we had reached the lowest uninsured rate in American history,” former Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure said. “Premium increases are worse than many of us had predicted, and now many people will forgo coverage entirely. These tax credits are lifelines for families.”
“Constituents are asking me what they should do after seeing how much their health insurance premiums have risen,” Nebraska State Senator John Fredrickson said. “To have people in situations where they are debating whether to have access to coverage should be a red flag for all of us. We are also hearing from clinics about the possibility of reducing services they provide. The situation we are looking at is dire.”
More than one month into the government shutdown, Congressmen Don Bacon and Mike Flood continue to refuse to lower costs for Nebraska families by making the health care tax credits permanent. In fact, they voted to cut Medicaid in addition to a host of other programs that working class Nebraskans rely on. While Congressman Bacon has proposed a bill to temporarily extend the tax credits, it does not help the families who are already seeing skyrocketing prices for next year.
“No matter where you get your insurance, we are all going to see the impacts of the instability and rising costs,” said Kelsey Arends, Health Care Access Staff Attorney at Nebraska Appleseed. “A lack of insurance means greater rates of uncompensated care which has a ripple effect that hurts health care providers. This is not a divisive issue. Extending these tax credits is wildly popular across the board.”
“My husband and I are looking at paying an additional $688 a month for our health insurance in 2026,” Omaha resident Audrey Horn said. “My husband works for a small company, so this is the only way to get our care. This increase is purely exorbitant, but we cannot go without coverage. We are all feeling the stress right now.”
The dramatic and unsustainable price increases, coupled with broader economic uncertainty, are creating more fears for working class and middle income Nebraska families who are trying to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads.
“Every day that the government shutdown continues, more and more Nebraskans are likely to decide not to keep their health insurance after seeing how high their premiums will be in 2026,” Nebraska For Us State Director Angie Lauritsen said. “Health care is so incredibly important and it is personal. People are making difficult decisions about their lives because they simply cannot afford basic necessities.”
Nebraska For Us maintains its call on our delegation to reopen the government, permanently restore the expiring tax credits, and to lower costs as Republicans have promised.
