"I have a knot in my stomach every single day, said Rachel Rosekind, 49, an El Cerrito mother whose monthly premium will go from $0 to $2,500 a month for her family of four. Rosekind, a self-employed freelancer, said she was fortunate during the pandemic to qualify for a $0 premium for a Kaiser high-deductible plan through the state's health insurance exchange."
"We could not afford $30,000 a year in insurance without going into medical debt, Rosekind said. Self-employed freelancer Rachel Rosekind of El Cerrito is scrambling to figure out how her family can afford to pay $2,500 a month for health insurance. Courtesy of Rachel Rosekind She and her family are rushing to finish all of their preventative care under their existing plan by the end of the year. She got a mammogram last month and booked well visits for her children in December."
Pandemic-era credits are ending, producing steep premium increases for many Covered California enrollees. About 82,000 Alameda County residents who use the exchange face sticker shock for 2026 rates. One family’s monthly premium will jump from $0 to $2,500, forcing the sole earner and self-employed parent to consider foregoing coverage or incurring medical debt. Open enrollment runs Nov. 1 through Jan. 31, 2026. Some families are accelerating preventive care before coverage changes take effect. Local officials warn that dropping insurance could shift costs and ultimately raise health care expenses for the broader community.
#covered-california #health-insurance-premiums #pandemic-era-subsidies #open-enrollment #alameda-county
Read at www.berkeleyside.org
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