After the enhanced premium tax credit program for the Affordable Care Act expired at the end of 2025, local enrollees and health insurance experts are braving the storm of high premiums. The enhanced premium tax credit program e xpanded income-based financial assistance for enrollees. The credits were introduced in 2021 and were set to expire at the end of 2025, despite a push from democratic lawmakers to extend them. Enrollees making more than the income level requirement for subsidies will likely see the largest spike.Jennifer Neary is a 63-year-old retiree who lives in Oshkosh. Shes been using coverage through the Affordable Care Act marketplace since her husband retired.After the enhanced premium tax credits expired at the end of 2025, she says her costs increased by 12%.I started drawing social security last year, she says. My monthly premiums for my health care this year are going to take up just about my entire check.Neary isnt old enough to qualify for Medicare yet, so shes worried about budgeting for this new expense.Im going to need to buy insurance for two more years on the open marketplace, she says. If were putting all this money into health care, theres a lot of other things that we wont be able to do. Im not at all happy with the state of health care in our state, or the state of health care in our country.Watch the broadcast story here: Huge financial hit- Affordable Care Act enrollees worry about new health insurance premiumsKim Riese, a local business owner in Oshkosh, is also an enrollee in the ACA marketplace.The marketplace is not cheap, even before, she says. And now, its worse.Riese will turn 65 and be eligible for Medicare in the next six months, but until then, her premium has jumped several hundred dollars.I dont know what we would do if I wasnt that close to Medicare, she says. I mean, its just a huge financial hit, huge. It was bad enough I was paying nearly $700 before, and now Im going to be paying almost $1,200, at least $1,100.Calvin Jirschele is an independent agent with Jirschele Insurance. He says they connect the majority of their clients with ACA marketplace insurers.He says those who no longer meet the income requirements for subsidies through the ACA are seeing their premiums skyrocket.Their premiums have gone up so much based on that income that they are being essentially forced to make less money, pull out less retirement because they're going to pay so much premiums, making that income, it's actually beneficial for them to make less money, he says.Jirschele says one of his clients, a retired couple in the Watertown area, saw their premium jump from $400 a month to $2,100.Those cases are real, and they are happening locally, but not for all individuals, and it's important to take a look at your specific situation, he says. The increases aren't staggering for most individuals. It's really those cases where you have those two individuals in the house that are making that much money, over the subsidy cliff amount, that's seeing the largest price increases.Jirschele says his best advice for people worried about premium increases this year is to seek professional assistance.Working with an independent agent who is doing this every day can really benefit you, he says. Don't try to do it all yourself. ...read more read less