According to the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, the average resident with ACA coverage pays $134 per month, and more than 8,000 people pay $10 or less per month.
David Roode, a resident of Kenton County, who expects to pay more next year for coverage, said without the tax credit assistance, monthly premiums could skyrocket.
"Most people really just can't afford, essentially, a $1,000 increase or so of their monthly payment for their health insurance premium," Roode pointed out.
The state could see a significant number of residents lose coverage due to changes in Medicaid passed in the GOP’s "One Big Beautiful Bill Act." According to health policy research nonprofit KFF, 180,000 Kentuckians currently on Medicaid will lose coverage, and more than 6,000 will be totally uninsured due to the expiration of tax credits.
Vicki Flynn, kynector for the Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission, said households are feeling the pinch from increased grocery prices and the cost of living, and expects more people to drop coverage when premiums go up. She worries more families will allow illness or chronic diseases to go untreated.
She explained it strains community resources and increases medical debt when people without coverage land in the emergency room.
"We do not know the future but I'm going to tell you this much, it is very, very important to keep health coverage," Flynn contended.
According to federal data, between 2014 and 2024, more than 5 million Kentuckians enrolled in Affordable Health Care Act coverage plans. Congress has yet to decide whether it will extend the enhanced tax credits or make them permanent.