The Constant Reminder
An ongoing update documenting the growing healthcare affordability crisis and how our system is failing Americans.
September 25, 2026 - “Removal of 760,000 people from ACA marketplace could undermine US health system” - The Guardian
The Trump Administration’s crackdown on “fraud and abuse” through the removal of thousands from ACA coverage could not only hurt legitimate policy holders, it would weaken the entire system by shrinking the pool of ACA participants. All likely because they’ve misread data on enrollees, according to this article.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/25/trump-aca-health-insuranceSeptember 20, 2026 - Last Week Tonight with John Oliver episode that covers United Healthcare - HBO
Bringing the work of Wendell Potter’s HEALTH CARE un-covered and others to bear to show how large United Health Group has grown and how it has gamed the system to maximize profits, all while inflating costs for consumers, rejecting claims and prior authorizations, and resulting in deaths.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1pXm0GjLhoSeptember 8, 2026 - “WDIV/Detroit News poll finds 49.2% of Michigan voters support changing American health care system” - WDIV Channel 4/Click on Detroit
Nearly half of respondents to the Michigan poll say they support a single-payer system similar to Medicare. When respondents to the survey of Michiganders heard a clearer definition of how this would work, 69% were in support.
https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2026/09/08/where-michigan-voters-stand-with-single-payer-health-insurance-according-to-poll/September 6, 2026 - “Why More Hospitals and Doctors Are Asking Patients to Pay First” - The Wall Street Journal
According to a study, about 92% of U.S. health providers either encourage prepayment, require it or collect a payment method on file during the estimate process. Last year, it was 81%. The growing demand from pre-payment is a direct result of patients facing higher deductibles, claim denials and low or no insurance coverage at all.
https://www.wsj.com/health/healthcare/why-more-hospitals-and-doctors-are-asking-patients-to-pay-first-a42c085d?st=P25E25&reflink=article_email_shareSeptember 2, 2026 - “Millions of People Are Losing Coverage Following 2025 Republican Policy Changes” - The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities
According to the article:
“Some 2.2 million fewer people were enrolled in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces as of February 2026 compared to December 2025, after Republicans chose to not extend premium tax credit (PTC) enhancements in the 2025 reconciliation law. Millions more people have seen their cost of coverage rise. And many others will lose ACA marketplace coverage throughout 2026, 2027, and 2028, as monthly premiums stack up and harmful marketplace policies in the 2025 Republican reconciliation law and new Trump Administration regulations take effect.”
https://www.cbpp.org/research/health/health-coverage-tracker-millions-of-people-are-losing-coverage-following-2025August 27, 2026 - “Healthcare Exec Lists $18.25 Million French Chateau-Style Home Outside Atlanta” - The Wall Street Journal
The wealth accumulated by individuals and corporations is at an all-time high, all while millions in the U.S. can’t afford healthcare and medical debt is the number one cause of bankruptcy. Rod Windley’s 18,000 sq. ft. home stands on seven acres once owned by country music star Kenny Rogers.
https://www.wsj.com/real-estate/luxury-homes/sandy-springs-georgia-home-d0477122?mod=hp_listb_pos1August 20, 2026 - “U.S. Workers Are Paying More for Healthcare, and Next Year Will Be Worse” - The Wall Street Journal
Workers in the U.S. pay an average of $5,297 a year for healthcare, an increase of $388 from 2025, and that costs are likely to grow much higher.
“The burden is likely to grow significantly next year, when U.S. employers expect their healthcare costs to go up by 11.1%, according to a new survey from WTW, another big benefits consultant—the steepest rise in more than 20 years. That would represent the fifth year of escalating increases, according to WTW.”
https://www.wsj.com/health/healthcare/u-s-workers-are-paying-more-for-healthcare-and-next-year-will-be-worse-0924d0dd?st=5obNgY&reflink=article_email_shareAugust 15, 2026 - “Republicans are trying to hide these health care cuts” - New York Times
Rather than try to kill the ACA or government funded plans, Republicans in Congress and the Trump Administration continue to gut the ACA and cut Medicaid and Medicare but in a much more quiet way, making it difficult for Americans to see the direct impact..
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/15/opinion/trump-health-care-cuts.html
August 3, 2026 - “A shocking 92 percent of US adults are not going to the doctor because it’s too expensive” - The Independent
A story reporting on a study by financial firm JG Wentworth of more than 1,500 adults in the U.S. that showed 92% of respondents had delayed or abandoned care due to cost. The article also states:
“High prices at the doctor’s office, urgent care, emergency room and more have led to 85 percent of Americans having medical debt.Collectively, American consumers have $220 billion in medical debt, according to a February poll from KFF - that’s around $958.61 per adult with medical debt.”
https://www.independent.co.uk/us/money/us-medical-costs-doctors-health-insurance-b3026479.htmlApril 30, 2026 - “Americans’ Challenges with Health Care Costs” - KFF
Among the results of KFF’s polling:Just under half of U.S. adults say it is difficult to afford health care costs, and about three in ten say they or a family member in their household had problems paying for health care in the past 12 months.
About one-third (36%) of adults say that in the past 12 months they have skipped or postponed getting health care they needed because of the cost. Notably three in four (75%) uninsured adults under age 65 say they went without needed care because of the cost.
About four in ten (43%) U.S. adults say they have not taken their medication as prescribed in the past year due to costs
In 2022, about four in ten adults (41%) reported having debt due to medical or dental bills including debts owed to credit cards, collections agencies, family and friends, banks, and other lenders to pay for their health care costs, with disproportionate shares of Black and Hispanic adults, women, parents, those with low incomes, and uninsured adults saying they have health care debt.
About two-thirds of adults say they are either “very worried” (30%) or “somewhat worried” (34%) about being able to afford the cost of health care for themselves and their families.
https://www.kff.org/health-costs/americans-challenges-with-health-care-costs/