Time Is Running Out: Congress Must Protect Veterans’ Access to Health Care

John Turner, Executive Director, Veterans Life Center of North Carolina 

(727 words) 

As we take time this season to thank our veterans for their service and sacrifice, let’s not forget how we can serve them by pushing forward with an urgent and critical decision: Congress must extend the enhanced premium tax credits before they expire at the end of the year. This is how we can say “thank you” to the men and women who wear our nation’s uniform. With inaction, the well-being of many veterans is at stake. 

In addition to comprehensive healthcare through the Department of Veterans Affairs, more than 600,000 veterans nationwide purchase supplemental healthcare policies. They rely on marketplace coverage to help lower those monthly premium payments and make that supplemental health insurance coverage more affordable. More than a quarter of a million veterans could lose that coverage altogether if premiums spike, as they are projected to do in 2026 without congressional action. 

In North Carolina nearly a million people, including many veterans and their families, rely on these critical tax credits. They have been a lifeline for working families, older adults, and people in rural communities where employer-based coverage is less common. For a family of four in North Carolina earning $66,000 per year, premiums will increase by 246% if the tax credits expire. It’s simply not feasible for most Americans and will force families to make difficult choices between health coverage and other necessities like groceries and housing. 

There’s a common misconception that all veterans automatically receive comprehensive care through the Department of Veterans Affairs. The VA provides essential services to millions, and its staff work tirelessly to meet the needs of people who served. But demand for care across the veteran community is high, and for many veterans – especially those in rural areas, those transitioning out of service, and those who do not qualify for full VA benefits – the individual marketplace provides a critical alternative option. It allows them to stay insured, maintain continuity of care, and access providers in their communities. 

At the Veterans Life Center of North Carolina we work every day with veterans who, in addition to VA provided services, depend on supplemental health care while they stabilize their lives. Many are building new careers after service, managing behavioral health needs, or reconnecting with their families and communities. For them coverage is often a make-or-break factor during this transition. When premiums become unaffordable, health care delays follow, and the consequences can reverberate for years. 

With open enrollment for 2026 now concluded, many veterans and their families have already received notices showing sharply higher premiums if the credits are allowed to expire. For many, the numbers are impossible to fathom. It was disappointing to see that the deal in Congress to end the government shutdown left out the critical extension of the enhanced premium tax credits.  

Veteran’s healthcare shouldn’t be the price of government disfunction. There is still time to act before new high-cost coverage takes effect in January. If lawmakers move quickly, they can prevent these increases from hitting veterans and millions of other Americans. 

This should not be a partisan issue. An analysis from KFF shows that the vast majority of people who benefit from the enhanced tax credits live in states that President Trump won in 2024. Polling consistently finds that Republican, Democratic, and independent voters alike view the credits as what they truly are: tax relief for hardworking Americans, not government handouts. Protecting these credits protects family budgets, prevents medical debt, and ensures that people who served this country can access the care they deserve. 

Our leaders in Congress must prioritize solutions that ensure veterans can continue to pay for the health insurance premiums that keep them covered. No veteran should face losing health care because of sudden and avoidable cost increases. 

Our veterans stepped forward for this nation without hesitation. They should never have to wonder whether the health care they rely on will suddenly be out of reach. As the year draws to a close, Congress must work across the aisle to pass an extension in December. There is a narrow but crucial window to prevent harm and honor the commitment we owe to those who served – now is the time to act.