Health Insurance Pain About To Hit Big Sky Country

Health Insurance Premiums Are Projected To Rise Significantly

I'm a woman in my 50's and I pay $364.44 a month for health insurance with a $7,000 deductible. That's $4,373.28 a year, and it's not really that great of an insurance plan. When a fairly healthy person has to pay $7,000 out of pocket to get ANY help with medical bills, it becomes emergency hospitalization/accident insurance. Not a day to day healthy human insurance plan that allows you to see the doctor when you're actually sick.

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As it sits for me, I have to be pretty damn sick to walk into a doctor's office where I have to pay 100% of everything being done for me, including the prescriptions we don't get help paying for. Who can afford a $500-$1,000 ear infection/flu/broken bone or whatever? Not me, that's for sure.

And did I mention they cut my personal doctor out of the new plan, so I've spent the last year looking for a new doctor that can never seem to see me before the 6 month mark, so I ended up at the old doctor and paying every cent out of pocket. (Honestly, how is that much different that the insurance I have now, anyway?)

Health Insurance Premiums Are Going Up For 2026

It's all I've heard for the last couple of weeks, and today they scared me enough on the news that I had to face it. Here's what I found:

September 12, 2025, Money Wise said,

That’s because in 2026, the price of health insurance is set to jump at a rate we haven’t seen in 15 years.

the price tag on health benefits per employee is likely to rise 6.5% on average next year. The survey added that the number would be 9% on average if employers didn’t try to find a way to bring costs down

September 22, 2025, CBPP said,

But unless Congress acts, the premium tax credit improvements will expire at the end of this year, causing 2026 premiums to spike for all marketplace enrollees, whether or not they receive premium tax credits.

September 29, 2025, American Progress said,

If enhanced tax credits expire, net premiums for those receiving financial assistance to purchase health insurance would rise 136 percent on average in 2026.

September 30, 2025, KFF said,

ACA Marketplace Premium Payments Would More Than Double On Average Next Year If Enhanced Premium Tax Credits Expire

September 30, 2025, Common Wealth Fund said,

 The median proposed premium increase for 2026 is 18% nationally, which is more than twice the increase insurers proposed for 2025 and triple the change for 2024

For once, I don't have anything snarky to say. I won't blast you for who you voted for or if you make enough money that this won't affect your life.

I know some of you watch news that is lying to you. I just wanted everyone to know. We have to start making decisions soon. Life and death decisions without even basic honesty from those who are supposed to be representing us.

I hope everything turns out okay for you. I'm pretty scared.

Sources: KKF, American Progress, Common Wealth Fund, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Money Wise

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