SAN ANTONIO – According to a recent West Health-Gallup survey, 47% of U.S. residents said they’re worried they won’t be able to afford necessary health care this year.
That’s in large part due to the rising costs of health care for patients on both marketplace and employer-sponsored plans.
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“The thought of having to pay more for my family of six is terrifying, overwhelming and exhausting,” Kassie Brandt said.
Brandt and her family have healthcare insurance through her husband’s job, but its cost has outpaced their family’s income.
Employers estimated that health plan costs would increase as much as 9%, according to a Aug. 2025 Mercer survey. Even with attempts to reduce costs, the total cost is expected to rise 6.5%, the highest increase since 2010.
Brandt said that her premiums have increased by thousands since 2021, when her family paid nearly $18,000. This year, she received another increase.
“I got the email saying my insurance was going up,” Brandt said, “and that I needed to start getting ready for that.”
Those without employer-sponsored plans are facing even higher hikes due to the expiration of the Affordable Care Act subsidies.
Brownsville resident Alix Flores told the Texas Tribune his monthly premium is increasing 23 times what he paid in 2025.
“Healthcare in general is messed up and just so complex,” said Dr. Cliff Porter, a primary and urgent care physician and senior fellow for health care at the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
Dr. Porter said there are alternatives patients can consider to keep costs down and avoid extra fees, such as Direct Primary Care.
Under these payment models, patients pay a set fee to a primary care physician for healthcare services.
“For example, I sent someone off to get a back X-ray [for a] scoliosis evaluation. They had insurance and the imaging center said, ‘okay, the copay for your insurance is $109,’” Porter said, “but the cash price for something like that at this place is $60, so the direct cost is $60.”
Direct Primary Care often offers wholesale pricing to patients for things like medications and lab tests, Porter said. However, because it often works like a subscription service, that’s not an option for someone like Brandt, who is trying to cut costs anywhere she can.
“We’re debating whether we’re going to continue with dental insurance next year or vision insurance,” Brandt said. “It’s like $200 that will be saved. That’s not gonna cover all of our insurance increases, but I don’t know where to go.”
The House is expected to vote on a bill that would extend the subsidies by three years, following months of discussion with no action, but it is unclear how that vote would play out.
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