Caregivers on the Brink: Why ACA Subsidy Extensions Matter

Caregivers on the brink: balancing home care and professional demands in a system without support.

By Mark Fukae - Director of Advocacy - Professionals Who Care

Caregivers across Colorado and the nation are facing a manufactured crisis. With enhanced ACA subsidies set to expire on December 31, 2025, millions of families will see premiums double overnight. For caregivers already balancing unpredictable income and full‑time responsibilities, this is not a policy debate - it is a household emergency.

At Professionals Who Care, we believe caregivers are the backbone of our workforce. Their unpaid labor sustains families, communities, and the economy. Yet without affordable, portable health coverage, caregivers are forced into impossible choices: leave the workforce, go uninsured, or sacrifice their own health.

“Who takes care of the caregiver? How can anyone balance employment and care when there is no safety net, no release valve, and no support?” — Our Lives On Hold series

We are mobilizing to demand Congress extend ACA subsidies immediately and to advance caregiver‑centered reforms like the proposed Colorado CARE Act.

📣 Take Action:

• Read and listen to the latest dispatch from Our Lives On Hold on Substack: The Subsidy Cliff & The Global Case for Care Infrastructure

• Share your caregiving story with us to strengthen our advocacy.

• Call your legislators - tell them subsidy extensions are non‑negotiable.

📚 References & Attributions

• Premium Shock Data   Cynthia Cox, Vice President at KFF’s ACA Program — quoted in KFF Marketplace analysis and InsuranceNewsNet (Dec 2025). Source: KFF Marketplace Analysis

• Coverage Losses   Congressional Budget Office projections via the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP). Source: CBPP ACA Subsidy Cliff Brief

• Moderate Republican Concerns   Rep. Jen Kiggans (R‑VA) — quoted in NBC News coverage of ACA subsidy negotiations (Dec 2025). Source: NBC News Reporting

• Republican Opposition   Sen. John Barrasso (R‑WY) — referred to subsidies as “Biden’s Covid bonus payments” in NBC News reporting (Dec 2025). Source: NBC News Coverage

• Senate Strategy   Sen. Chuck Schumer (D‑NY) — pledged to force a vote on a clean three‑year extension, reported by CBS News and Politico (Dec 2025). Sources: CBS News | Politico

• Global Context (COP30 Belém Health Action Plan)   WHO Director‑General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus — “The climate crisis is a health crisis.” PAHO Director Jarbas Barbosa — emphasized resilient health systems. Sources: WHO COP30 Statement | PAHO COP30 Coverage | COP30 Official Portal

• Care as Climate Infrastructure   Brookings Institution Analysis — care services as overlooked climate adaptation infrastructure. Source: Brookings Report

• Economic Case for Care Infrastructure   International Labour Organization (ILO) — every $1 invested in care creates more jobs than construction. Source: ILO Care Economy Report

• Human Rights Perspective   Human Rights Watch Statement — “The failure to extend subsidies threatens the right to health and financial security of millions.” Source: Human Rights Watch