CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – The recent government shutdown highlighted a continuing battle over healthcare, specifically the extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies.

The outcome of this debate in Washington could significantly impact how much North Carolinians pay for their health insurance.

For 67-year-old Gerry Fiesler and his 62-year-old wife, Kelly, healthcare is essential. Gerry Fiesler is on Medicare, but Kelly Fiesler, who has an autoimmune disease and Crohn’s disease, relies on the ACA Marketplace.

Thanks to expanded federal subsidies, they currently pay just $60 a month for Kelly Fiesler’s coverage. However, if these subsidies expire, their bill could jump to over $450 – a 750% increase.

“It’s a good program. It really is. The insurance is good. It was affordable,” Kelly Fiesler said. “I think because of the income I reported was a little more they put us in a tier. I think the deductibles are higher a lot of changes. I haven’t even approved the plan yet for 100%.”

Facing rising costs for food, gas, and other necessities, the Fieseler’s have made the difficult decision to sell their retirement home of eight years.

“We have to do that, it’s the only way we may survive this. It’s about survival. I don’t know how long it’s going to last with us with the money and all. I may have to go back to work,” Gerry Fiesler said.

The number of North Carolinians insured through the ACA Marketplace has doubled since before the pandemic, from 500,000 to nearly 1 million, largely due to the affordability subsidies provided.

Nicholas Riggs, Director of the NC Navigator Consortium, warns of the consequences if subsidies are not extended.

“Without the enhanced subsidies, people are seeing their premiums jump two to three times what they are right now,” Riggs said “And not only that, but for individuals who are above 400% of the federal poverty level, they will have to pay full price for marketplace plans if the enhanced subsidies aren’t extended.”

Who currently qualifies for enhanced subsidies?

• Individuals making up to $62,000
• Couples making up to $84,000
• Families of four making up to $128,000

If subsidies expire, the previous rules will return, potentially eliminating eligibility for many middle-income households, including those who are too young for Medicare and do not qualify for Medicaid, yet cannot afford to go without medical care.

“The American dream is slowly getting out of reach for most people, I think,” Gerry Fieseler said.

Riggs advised against panic, stating that even if enhanced subsidies expire, other subsidies and marketplace plans will still be available.

“There are four different categories of plans. There’s bronze, which covers 60% of out-of-pocket costs, silver, which roughly covers 70% of out-of-pocket costs, gold, 80%, and platinum, 90%. So we always want to make sure that folks do know that there are health coverage options available in the marketplace, regardless of what’s going to happen with the subsidies,” Riggs said. “And it is much better to protect yourself against a health emergency and have coverage, even if it’s a bronze plan, than to go without coverage at all. So explore your options.”

The decision by Congress will determine whether hundreds of thousands in North Carolina maintain their health coverage. Navigators recommend checking options early and not panicking.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Federal immigration authorities will expand their enforcement action in North Carolina to Raleigh as soon as Tuesday, the mayor of the state’s capital city said, while Customs and Border Protection agents continue operating in Charlotte following a weekend that saw arrests of more than 130 people in that city.

Mayor Janet Cowell said Monday that she didn’t know how large the operation would be or how long agents would be present. Immigration authorities haven’t spoken about it. The Democrat said in a statement that crime was lower in Raleigh this year compared to last and that public safety was a priority for her and the city council.

“I ask Raleigh to remember our values and maintain peace and respect through any upcoming challenges,” Cowell said in a statement.

U.S. immigration agents arrested more than 130 people over the weekend in a sweep through Charlotte, North Carolina’s largest city, a federal official said Monday.

The movements in North Carolina come after the Trump administration launched immigration crackdowns in Los Angeles and Chicago. Both of those are deep blue cities in deep blue states run by nationally prominent officials who make no secret of their anger at the White House. The political reasoning there seemed obvious.

But why North Carolina and why was Charlotte the first target there?

Sure the mayor is a Democrat, as is the governor, but neither is known for wading into national political battles. In a state where divided government has become the norm, Gov. Josh Stein in particular has tried hard to get along with the GOP-controlled state legislature. The state’s two U.S. senators are both Republican and President Donald Trump won the state in the last three presidential elections.

The Department of Homeland Security has said it is focusing on North Carolina because of so-called sanctuary policies, which limit cooperation between local authorities and immigration agents.

But maybe focusing on a place where politics is less outwardly bloody was part of the equation.

The White House “can have enough opposition (to its crackdown), but it’s a weaker version” than what it faced in places like Chicago, said Rick Su, a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law who studies local government, immigration and federalism.

“They’re not interested in just deporting people. They’re interested in the show,” he said.

The crackdown

The Trump administration has made Charlotte, a Democratic city of about 950,000 people, its latest focus for an immigration enforcement surge it says will combat crime — despite local opposition and declining crime rates. Residents reported encounters with immigration agents near churches, apartment complexes and stores.

Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that Border Patrol officers had arrested “over 130 illegal aliens who have all broken” immigration laws. The agency said the records of those arrested included gang membership, aggravated assault, shoplifting and other crimes, but it did not say how many cases had resulted in convictions, how many people had been facing charges or any other details.

The crackdown set off fierce objections from area leaders.

“We’ve seen masked, heavily armed agents in paramilitary garb driving unmarked cars, targeting American citizens based on their skin color,” Stein said in a video statement late Sunday. “This is not making us safer. It’s stoking fear and dividing our community.”

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said Monday she was “deeply concerned” about videos she’s seen of the crackdown but also said she appreciates protesters’ peacefulness.

“To everyone in Charlotte who is feeling anxious or fearful: You are not alone. Your city stands with you,” she said in a statement.

The debate over crime and immigration

Charlotte and surrounding Mecklenburg County have both found themselves part of America’s debates over crime and immigration, two of the most important issues to the White House.

The most prominent was the fatal stabbing this summer of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light-rail train, an attack captured on video. While the suspect was from the U.S., the Trump administration repeatedly highlighted that he had been arrested previously more than a dozen times.

Charlotte, which had a Republican mayor as recently as 2009, is now a city dominated by Democrats, with a growing population brought by a booming economy. The racially diverse city includes more than 150,000 foreign-born residents, officials say.

Lyles easily won a fifth term as mayor earlier this month, defeating her Republican rival by 45 percentage points even as GOP critics blasted city and state leaders for what they call rising incidents of crime. Following the Nov. 4 election, Democrats are poised to hold 10 of the other 11 seats on the city council.

While the Department of Homeland Security has said it is focusing on the state because of sanctuary policies, North Carolina county jails have long honored “detainers,” or requests from federal officials to hold an arrested immigrant for a limited time so agents can take custody of them. Nevertheless, some common, noncooperation policies have existed in a handful of places, including Charlotte, where the police do not help with immigration enforcement.

In Mecklenburg County, the jail did not honor detainer requests for several years, until after state law effectively made it mandatory starting last year.

DHS said about 1,400 detainers across North Carolina had not been honored since October 2020, putting the public at risk.

For years, Mecklenburg Sheriff Garry McFadden pushed back against efforts by the Republican-controlled state legislature to force him and a handful of sheriffs from other urban counties to accept ICE detainers.

Republicans ultimately overrode a veto by then-Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper late last year to enact the bill into law.

While McFadden has said his office is complying with the law’s requirement, he continued a public feud with ICE leaders in early 2025 that led to a new state law toughening those rules. Stein vetoed that measure, but the veto was overridden.

Republican House Speaker Destin Hall said in a Monday post on X that immigration agents are in Charlotte because of McFadden’s past inaction: “They’re stepping in to clean up his mess and restore safety to the city.”

Last month, McFadden said he’d had a productive meeting with an ICE representative.

“I made it clear that I do not want to stop ICE from doing their job, but I do want them to do it safely, responsibly, and with proper coordination by notifying our agency ahead of time,” McFadden said in a statement.

But such talk doesn’t calm the political waters.

“Democrats at all levels are choosing to protect criminal illegals over North Carolina citizens,” state GOP Chairman Jason Simmons said Monday.

___

Sullivan reported from Minneapolis and Robertson from Raleigh, North Carolina. Associated Press writers Brian Witte in Annapolis, Maryland and Rebecca Santana in Washington contributed to this report.

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After some strong winds on Sunday, calmer conditions are expected for the start to the workweek. Monday will still be breezy at times, however, and we’ll need to continue to monitor the risk for wildfire danger.

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Around North Carolina

1. Driver that struck, killed girl in 2022 Raleigh Christmas parade pleads guilty

A few days short of the three-year anniversary of when 11-year-old Hailey Brooks died after being hit by a truck in the Raleigh Christmas Parade, the driver pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 120 days, according to court records. Landen Glass, who was 20 years old at the time, lost control after his brakes failed, police said.

2. ECU, N.C. State boards approve hikes for in-state tuition

Leaders at East Carolina University and N.C. State have approved 3% tuition increases for incoming students. The N.C. State board of trustees gave approval Friday to the increase, which would take effect in fall 2026, a spokesman for the school said. ECU’s trustees approved the tuition increase for new undergraduate students beginning in the 2026-27 academic year, a university spokesperson said. The tuition increases at both schools must be approved by the UNC System’s Board of Governors.

3. Funeral to be held Monday for WakeMed officer killed in line of duty

Services for WakeMed Officer Roger Smith will start at noon Monday at Providence Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. Smith, 59, was shot and killed Saturday, Nov. 8, during a struggle at the WakeMed Garner HealthPlex, officials said.

Around The Nation

1. Trump drops tariffs on beef, coffee, tropical fruit as pressure builds on consumer prices

2. Trump to ask DOJ to probe Epstein ties to Clinton, Summers, Hoffman, JPMorgan

3. Experts say legislative path forward to lower health care costs remains unclear

The school year can look much different for children matriculating through the state’s foster care system. The National Center for Education Statistics showed only 57% of North Carolina students in foster care graduate high school compared with about a 90% graduation rate for their peers. Nita Nwakuche is proud to have graduated from high school as a product of the system, considering how much she had to overcome.