The subsidies \u2014 also known as enhanced premium tax credits<\/a> \u2014 were first put in place during the COVID pandemic. They work in conjunction with the original Affordable Care Act subsidies to lower what people pay in premiums, the monthly costs that people pay just to purchase an insurance plan.<\/p>\n Over time, as inflation pushed health care costs higher and higher, the enhanced subsidies helped keep coverage within reach.<\/p>\n People who don\u2019t receive any subsidies will still see their prices for 2026 increase significantly \u2014 about 23% on average. Others who are eligible to continue receiving the original Affordable Care Act subsidies will see bigger increases. Those who were only receiving the enhanced subsidies will see the biggest increase of all because they will now have to shoulder the full price of their coverage.<\/p>\n The state estimates that, on average, people shopping on their own for insurance will see a 101% increase in what they pay just to buy insurance. But, because of the way the subsidies are calculated combined with high underlying costs for insurance, people in rural Colorado will see even bigger average increases.<\/p>\n Bennet, Hickenlooper blast vote<\/p>\n Both of Colorado\u2019s U.S. senators criticized Republicans for not supporting a subsidy extension.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat most Coloradans want, they\u2019re trying to find a way to lower the costs, and yet this is just the opposite,\u201d Hickenlooper said in an interview Wednesday, looking ahead to the vote. \u201cThis is going to dramatically increase the cost for a large percentage of Coloradans.\u201d<\/p>\n Congress could still extend the subsidies for 2026 \u2014 in fact, it could even do so after the start of the new year. But Bennet said Republicans have not presented a united plan, and he criticized President Donald Trump and Republican leaders for not addressing the issue sooner.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is insane,\u201d Bennet said Thursday on a call with reporters. \u201cPeople were supposed to be making their decisions a month ago about what insurance they were going to buy. So every day that goes by, it just becomes harder and harder and harder to address.\u201d<\/p>\n In remarks prior to Thursday\u2019s vote<\/a>, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, criticized Democrats for wanting to extend the subsidies without tying it to deeper reforms to the health care system.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope that after today, they\u2019ll feel like they\u2019ve checked the messaging box and will get serious about actually doing something about the spiraling health care costs under Obamacare,\u201d Thune said.<\/p>\n Hickenlooper and Bennet bristled at that idea \u2014 both said they think the current system is broken and needs to be fixed, with each saying they believe health care is a right and the United States should have a system that ensures universal coverage.<\/p>\n Bennet accused Trump and other Republicans of indifference to the hardship that not extending the subsidies will cause.<\/p>\n \u201cThey think they\u2019re going to get away with blaming other people for the problems that he (Trump) is now creating,\u201d Bennet said.<\/p>\n Hickenlooper said the subsidy expiration will also impact small businesses. The availability of the subsidies caused many small employers to forgo offering insurance and to instead allow their workers to shop for coverage on the open market, where they could often find a better deal. Roughly half of the people shopping for coverage on their own<\/a> either work for a small business or are unemployed.<\/p>\n \u201cIt creates a level of anxiety for your workers,\u201d Hickenlooper said of the rising insurance costs. \u201cHow your employees feel about their lives has a lot to do with your success.\u201d<\/p>\n Was the shutdown worth it?<\/p>\n The expiring subsidies were at the center of the fight that shut down the federal government for a record 43 days<\/a> in October and November.<\/p>\n Democrats in the Senate had refused to support a measure to keep the government funded unless it contained a provision to extend the enhanced insurance subsidies. The shutdown ended when a handful of Democrats, not including Bennet or Hickenlooper, agreed to a deal to reopen the government in conjunction with a promise for a vote on subsidy extension \u2014 the vote that failed Thursday.<\/p>\n Despite that meek ending, Hickenlooper said the shutdown fight was worth it, even though he also said, \u201cI hate shutdowns, and I am distressed that it was necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_6724-1200x900.jpg\")
The homepage of Connect for Health Colorado, the state\u2019s insurance exchange, on Oct. 26, 2025. (John Ingold, The Colorado Sun)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20220809-COLORADO-DEMOCRATS-HICKENLOOPER-HV-0001-1200x800.jpg\")
Democratic U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper speaks at City Park in Denver, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, at an event to draw attention to passage in Congress of the Inflation Reduction Act. (Hart Van Denburg, CPR News via the Colorado Capitol News Alliance)<\/p>\n