Affordable health care at stake for 200,000 Kansans as shutdown tensions rise in D.C.

The U.S. Capitol on the evening of Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, just hours before a federal government shutdown. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

America is in week three of a government shutdown, and the ability of hundreds of thousands of Kansas families to afford health care is on the line.

Debate about whether to fund enhanced health care tax credits, which make health care more affordable, has prompted the current government halt.

This is a health care shutdown, and the stakes are high for the more than 200,000 Kansans who buy their health insurance plans through the federal government’s Health Insurance Marketplace. If Congress fails to fund these health care tax credits, Kansas families will see explosive increases in health care costs.

The health care tax credits make plans in the Marketplace more affordable for low- and middle-income Americans. It allows farmers, contract workers, self-employed individuals and those working for small family businesses that don’t offer insurance to have coverage. Enrollment in the Marketplace doubled from 2021 to 2025 after Congress enhanced the tax credits and made them available to more people.

However, these health care tax credits are set to expire at the end of 2025. Not extending them will cause rates to double, leading to more people becoming uninsured. Data shows average Marketplace premium payments in Kansas will increase by 77% should Congress fail to act.

As tensions rise in D.C. over this issue, it’s important to understand how it impacts Kansans directly. Not funding the health care tax credits is cutting health care for families, making it exponentially harder to afford health insurance and care.

This comes at a time when the majority of Kansans already feel the economy is making life harder for families, particularly those raising young children. Nonpartisan research that the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund recently released found that 84% of Kansans voiced this concern, and 77% said Kansas families with young children are struggling with just everyday costs.

Families are already deeply concerned about health care costs, too, and that’s without this potential spike if Congress doesn’t fund the health care tax credits. The Health Fund’s research showed health care was Kansans’ top concern, with 90% of those worried about the cost of care, followed by 89% highlighting cost of living and 85% identifying the cost of food as a challenge.

As families in Kansas struggle to afford health care and day-to-day living, it’s not a surprise that the latest KFF Health Tracking Poll found that 78% of adults said Congress should extend the health care tax credits. That is more than three times the share of the public — at 22% — who say Congress should let the credits expire.

The rise in costs by not extending the health care tax credits would be steep. A 60-year-old couple making $82,000 would see premiums increase by more than $18,000 annually, according to KFF. And, a family of four (ages 45, 45, 15, and 10) earning $129,800 a year would see premiums increase by $10,294 annually, according to Keep Americans Covered. With everyday budgets stretched, these steep price hikes will hit pocketbooks hard.

Ultimately, the steep increases in prices are expected to cause about 108,000 Kansans to lose health coverage over the next decade.

Kansans don’t want policies that cut health care or programs that make the cost of living more affordable for families. The opposite is true — 69% of Kansans feel government is already doing too little to help families, especially those with young children.

Eliminating these health care tax credits makes it tougher for families to afford everyday life, stay healthy and put food on the table for their kids. It would also take choices away from Kansans by making it tougher to switch jobs or start a new business.

Also, these cuts would have a ripple effect. When more people become uninsured due to unaffordability, that puts Kansas hospitals and providers at greater financial risk as they take on more uncompensated care. We cannot afford that risk, as Kansas already has more financially vulnerable hospitals than any other state.

Increases in the number of uninsured Kansans drives up health care costs for everyone else, as we pay the price for covering the uncompensated care for the uninsured. By failing to extend the health care tax credits, Congress is gambling with the health and economic security of Kansans and the rural health care system.

However, there’s a way to avoid these devastating cuts that would hurt families and hospitals alike: extend the health care tax credits. We can end this health care shutdown and keep health care affordable. It’s what Kansas families want.

David Jordan is the president of the Hutchinson-based United Methodist Health Ministry Fund. Through its opinion section, the Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary, here.