(Red State)—Health insurance premiums for Americans buying coverage through Affordable Care Act marketplaces will spike by a median of 15 percent in 2026, which is the largest increase in more than five years. For millions of families, this means premium payment increases of over 75 percent as enhanced tax credits expire.
What we’re about to witness is the impact of government interference in sectors where it has no constitutional authority to operate.
This crisis was baked into the ACA from day one. When Barack Obama promised Americans they could keep their doctors and that his plan would make healthcare affordable, he was selling a fantasy that required ever-expanding federal subsidies to maintain the illusion of success. Now, as those artificial supports crumble, we’re seeing the true cost of Democratic governance that believes Washington knows better than free markets.
The Subsidy Addiction Economy
Since enhanced premium tax credits were introduced, ACA marketplace enrollment more than doubled from 11.4 million people in 2020 to 24.3 million people in 2025. Democrats celebrated this as proof that their system worked. What they actually created was a massive dependency program that required $705 in average annual subsidies per enrollee to function, which is about a 44 percent reduction in what people actually paid for their coverage.
This was government price manipulation rather than healthcare reform. The enhanced credits resulted in an additional 10 million people gaining coverage through the marketplaces, but at what cost? When success depends entirely on taxpayer-funded subsidies that Congress must repeatedly extend, you haven’t solved the underlying problem—you’ve just made taxpayers responsible for it.
- Read More: redstate.com
The Biggest Threat to Your Retirement Is Actually a Very Good Thing
When you look at the headlines today, you’ll see experts in the retirement industry warning about big threats to your financial security:
- De-dollarization and the rise of BRICS
- Soaring national debt
- Unstable interest rates
- Weakened U.S. dollar
All of these are real concerns. But they aren’t the biggest threat to your retirement savings. The true risk isn’t political, monetary, or global.
It’s longevity.
Why Longevity Is the Silent Threat
For most of human history, the problem was the opposite — life expectancy was short, and few people even reached retirement. Today, thanks to medical advancements, healthier lifestyles, and better living conditions, people are living longer than ever before.
And while that’s a wonderful thing, it comes with a financial catch: Your retirement account has to last far longer than you might expect.
- A 65-year-old couple today has a 50% chance that one of them will live to 90.
- Some projections suggest that many of us will live well into our 90s, even 100+.
- This means your nest egg may need to stretch not for 15 years, but 25, 30, or even 40 years.
That’s where the real danger lies: running out of money before you run out of life.
The Retirement Equation Has Changed
While market volatility, debt crises, or central bank policies may feel like the scariest threats, they’re temporary storms. Longevity, however, is a structural shift. Every extra year of life is another year of expenses, another year of inflation erosion, and another year of financial pressure.
If your retirement plan doesn’t account for longevity, you could face tough choices later in life — downsizing, working when you’d rather not, or becoming financially dependent on others.
How to Take Control
The good news? Longevity is a blessing — as long as you’re prepared for it. With the right planning, your retirement savings can work for you instead of against you. The key is learning how to protect your wealth, outpace inflation, and ensure your savings grow even as you live longer.
That’s why our friends at Augusta Precious Metals created a free resource to help you get started:
👉 Get Instant Access to the report, “How to Take Full Control of Your Financial Future”
This brief report will show you practical strategies to safeguard your retirement from the biggest threat of all — the one that comes from the gift of living longer.
Don’t let longevity catch you unprepared. Take the steps today to secure tomorrow.
