DE PERE, Wis. (WFRV) – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) made an appearance in Brown County to warn that thousands of Wisconsin families could see their health insurance premiums increase sharply if Congress does not act before the end of the year.
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Baldwin held the press conference inside Vintage Rose Bakery & Sandwich Shop in De Pere, saying small businesses like the bakery illustrate how rising health care costs affect both owners and customers.
Baldwin said more than 275,000 Wisconsinites rely on enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits, which are set to expire on December 31 unless Congress votes to extend them. She said many people shopping for coverage right now are already seeing higher prices.
“People are seeing right now as they log on and shop for their insurance — it’s doubling and tripling, even more,” Baldwin said.
Bakery owner Kim Paul shared that she and her husband, Adam, get their health insurance through the ACA and estimate their premiums will increase by around 500% without the subsidies.
“Our insurance is going up about 500%,” Paul said. “If people are coming in less often or spending less, it makes it even harder to pay our employees, pay our bills, and keep the business running.”
Wisconsinite Janine Pichler, who also purchases coverage through the ACA, said her family could see premiums rise more than 200%.
Baldwin criticized Republican lawmakers for voting down her amendment that would have extended the credits for one year. She said even if the Senate acts, she is not confident the U.S. The House will bring the measure forward.
“Even if the Senate acts, there’s no guarantee Speaker Johnson will bring it up for a vote,” Baldwin said.
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In response to today’s press conference, Republican Representative Tony Wied issued the following statement:
“Since its inception, the Affordable Care Act has been anything but affordable for hardworking Americans. We could have spent the last seven weeks working to address this issue, but instead Senator Baldwin chose to play political games by shutting down the government and holding people’s access to food and farmers’ access to critical services hostage to appeal to the far left in her party.
No one wants Wisconsinites to pay more for their health insurance, and now that we’ve finally put an end to the mess Senator Baldwin helped create, I look forward to working with my colleagues in Washington to find a lasting solution to this longstanding problem.”
— Rep. Tony Wied
The 2026 open enrollment period for ACA health insurance, in the state of Wisconsin, opened November 1 and will close January 15. The deadline for coverage to begin at the start of the new year is December 15.
