East Tennessee Housing Advocate and Caregiver finds Marketplace Insurance Unaffordable without Enhanced Premium Tax Credits

For 57-year-old Samantha* from East Tennessee, life has always been about serving others. She and her husband devoted their lives to their community—his work as a pastor and county commissioner gave them both purpose and stability. 

Then everything changed. After a back surgery left her husband permanently disabled, they lost not only his income but also their home in the church parsonage. For the first time, they turned to credit cards just to make ends meet. Debt piled up.

Today, Samantha works full-time for her local housing authority while also caring for her husband around the clock. “I provide 100% of the nursing home level care for my husband every single hour I’m not at work,” she explains. “I need to stay healthy enough to take care of us.”

But staying healthy is getting harder. Samantha doesn’t qualify for TennCare, and her employer doesn’t offer health insurance. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act Marketplace and Enhanced Premium Tax Credits (EPTCs), she can afford coverage—for now.

If the EPTCs expire at the end of 2025, Samantha’s monthly premium will soar from $241 to $444—an increase she simply can’t afford.

“I believe in doing all you can for yourself—and I am doing that,” she says. “But at this rate, I’ll be working until I’m 70. There’s just no way to get ahead.”

Thousands of Tennesseans like Samantha are already stretched thin by rising food and housing costs. Without the EPTCs, many hardworking people will face impossible choices between paying for health care or other essentials.

Join the Tennessee Justice Center in urging Congress to make the Enhanced Premium Tax Credits permanent to keep coverage affordable for working families like Samantha’s.

Help make a difference by contacting your members of Congress today using TJC’s EPTC Sign-On Letter.

*Client’s name has been changed for privacy and anonymity