Governor McKee Joins Fellow Governors in Calling on Congress to Act as Families Face Rising Health Insurance Costs
Published on Tuesday, September 16, 2025
PROVIDENCE, RI — Governor Dan McKee today joined a group of governors in sending a joint letter [zk8ngbyab.cc.rs6.net] to Congressional leadership, urging immediate action to extend the enhanced premium tax credits put in place in 2021 to supplement the base level of Advance Premium Tax Credits (APTCs) provided under the Affordable Care Act. These enhanced credits are set to expire at the end of 2025, which would leave about 40,000 Rhode Islanders who benefit from APTCs through HealthSource RI (HSRI), the state’s health coverage Marketplace, facing increased health insurance costs.
“Rhode Islanders cannot continue to absorb rising health insurance costs,” said Governor Dan McKee. “We need immediate federal action to extend these tax credits for thousands of Rhode Islanders.”
Lower income households will experience the largest percentage impact when 2025 net premiums increase an estimated 85% overall heading into 2026. Those with incomes around $60,000 will experience the largest dollar increases when their eligibility ends entirely. This effect is particularly pronounced for older Rhode Islanders, who will see both the highest resulting premiums and premium increases if they lose access to APTCs. HSRI estimates that as many as 11,300 Rhode Islanders could lose coverage due to unaffordability, threatening Rhode Island’s steady progress to just 2.2% uninsured, among the best in the country.
The governors’ call comes at a time when Rhode Island, like many other states, is confronting rising health insurance premiums for 2026, adding further strain on consumers already dealing with increased household costs.
“We know that with the loss of this assistance, thousands of individuals and families will lose their health insurance,” said Lindsay Lang, director of HealthSource RI. “We worry about our neighbors facing insurmountable medical costs or suffering serious health impacts from avoiding or delaying care as a result. Further, an affordability report commissioned last year found that the potential loss of the $40 million in enhanced premium tax credits coming into Rhode Island would have grave ripple effects on our healthcare system as a whole. When fewer Rhode Islanders have health insurance, the rate of uncompensated care will go up, exacerbating the strain our hospitals and providers already feel.”