Health care premiums set to rise as ACA subsidy deal collapses
Obamacare subsidies are set to expire after Congress failed to reach a deal, leaving millions facing higher health care costs.
- 74% of residents support the extension of the ACA subsidies, while 19% oppose.
- Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., said that resurrecting the Affordable Care Act subsidies could depend on President Donald Trump in an interview with NPR Jan. 1.
- 92%, including majorities of all parties, disapprove of Congress’s handling of healthcare.
Most Vermont residents support extending the recently expired Obamacare subsidies, which were at the center of the government shutdown fight last year and continue to cause tension on Capitol Hill, according to a new poll from the University of New Hampshire Survey Center.
Democrats in Congress had refused to support a government funding bill that didn’t extend COVID-era subsidies for lower income Americans under the Affordable Care Act, leading to longest-ever government shutdown in October and November as GOP lawmakers would not extend the subsidies, citing reports of fraud and criticisms of Obamacare more broadly. The two sides ultimately came to a deal to reopen the government, and the subsidies expired at the end of 2025.
While the House voted to extend the subsidies in early January, the legislation is less likely to pass the Senate, which has previously voted against it. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., said that resurrecting the Affordable Care Act subsidies could depend on President Donald Trump in an interview with NPR Jan. 1.
In Vermont, 74% of residents support the extension of the subsidies, while 19% oppose. This is divided along party lines, with 99% of Democrats in support and 62% of Republicans in opposition.
When asked about Obamacare in general, 55% of Vermont residents said they wanted to expand the law, including 79% of Democrats. 21% want to repeal the law entirely, including 72% of Republicans.
73% disapprove of how President Donald Trump has handled healthcare, but more disapprove of how Congress has handled the issue. 92%, including majorities of all parties, disapprove of Congress’s handling of healthcare.
The Green Mountain State Poll, a States of Opinion Project conducted by UNH Survey Center and released Jan. 26, surveyed 765 Vermont residents online from Jan. 15 – 19. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.5%.
Do Vermonters support a “single-payer” health care plan?
A plurality (70%) of Vermont residents would support a national single-payer health care plan, the poll revealed.
A single-payer system is where all Americans would get insurance from a single government plan. It’s often championed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who calls his plan “Medicare for all.”
Support for the plan is divided by party: 92% of Democrats support, while 61% of Republicans oppose. Those with a higher household income are also more likely to support the idea.
How healthy are Vermonters?
In the poll, most Vermonters said they were in either good (50%) or very good (34%) health.
However, nearly half (47%) of Vermont residents say that it is difficult to pay for their overall medical care expenses, and 67% said that overall medical costs have gone up in the past 12 months. Just 1% said they have declined.
