More Expensiver: Health Insurance Premium Increases Add to Electoral Problems for Republicans | Colorado Pols
Up, up, up. From gas prices to groceries, voters are extremely concerned about a sputtering economy and the rising cost of living. And now it looks like healthcare costs are going up (again). As The Denver Post reported late last week: Health insurance companies selling on Colorado’s individual marketplace have…
(D) J. Hickenlooper*(R) Mark Baisley90%↑10%(D) Phil Weiser(R) Victor Marx90%↑10%(D) Jena Griswold(R) Michael Allen70%30%(D) A. Gonzalez(R) James Wiley90%10%(D) Jeff Bridges(R) Kevin Grantham80%↑20%↓(D) Melat Kiros(R) Christy Peterson95%2%(D) Joe Neguse*(R) K. Dennison90%2%(R) Jeff Hurd*(D) Dwayne Romero60%↓40%↑(R) Lauren Boebert*(D) E. Laubacher80%20%(R) Jeff Crank*(D) Jessica Killin53%↓48%↑(D) Jason Crow*(R) Jason Clark90%2%(D) B. Pettersen*(R) A. Capobianco90%2%(D) Manny Rutinel(R) Gabe Evans*55%↑45%↓DEMOCRATSREPUBLICANS80%20%DEMOCRATSREPUBLICANS95%5%[wpdreams_ajaxsearchlite]July 28, 2026 12:46 PM UTC0 Commentsby: Colorado PolsReps. Lauren Boebert, Jeff Crank, and Gabe EvansUp, up, up. Fromgas pricesto groceries,voters are extremely concernedabout a sputtering economy and the rising cost of living. And now it looks like healthcare costs are going up (again). AsThe Denver Postreported late last week:Health insurance companies selling on Colorado’s individual marketplace have asked for 11% increases in monthly premiums for next year, on average. [Pols emphasis]This year, premiums rose 22%, though the impact felt larger for customers who lost subsidies. The Colorado Division of Insurance estimated that the combination of a higher sticker price and having to pay a greater share of the total premium would cause monthly costs to roughly double for individual market enrollees, assuming they kept the same plans they had in 2025. Choosing plans with higher out-of-pocket costs could partially mitigate the increase in monthly premiums for Affordable Care Act plans, though it also could leave patients with high bills if they needed expensive care. The proposed 2027 rates still have to go through the Division of Insurance, which calculates whether they’re necessary to keep plans stable without generating excessive profits. Healthcare premiums are skyrocketing for 2027 for the same reason theyrose dramatically in 2026:Congressional Republicanswon’t do a damn thing to help. In late 2025,Republicans repeatedly refusedto extend subsidies for the Affordable Care Act. The only reason things weren’tworsethis year is becauseDemocrats in the state legislaturedid everything they could to mitigate the damage. Incumbent Republicans like Rep. Gabe Evans(R-Ft. Lupton) thought they could convince voters that they were mindful of economic concerns by promoting last summer’s Big Beautiful Bullshit Bill (BBB), butvoters aren’t buyingwhat the GOP is selling. New data fromNavigator Researchconfirms the problem for incumbent Republicans:Across ideological groups, Americans are more likely to believe decisions made by the president and other elected officials shape the economy than by broader forces beyond policymakers’ control. Nearly two-thirds say economic outcomes are driven primarily by elected officials’ decisions (62%), while 38% attribute them more to broader economic patterns. Would I smile crookedly if I was lying?Voters are also convinced that Republicans are at fault for rising gas prices, asPOLITICOexplains:Three in five Americans believe gas prices in their area have risen by more than they actually have, according to an analysis of new results from The POLITICO Poll. It’s those perceptions that candidates will be running against this fall……In Colorado’s 8th District, where gas prices have risen by $0. 73 on average since Trump took office, Republican incumbent Rep. Gabe Evans blamed local Democratic policies for increased costs more than the Iran war. While “what’s happening halfway around the globe has some impact on global energy prices,” Evans said, high gas prices in the district are “a direct result of the local economic policies — the anti-energy policies — of the state Democrats who run the state of Colorado. ” [Pols emphasis]This explanation from Evans iscomplete nonsense. If what Evans says were true, then how do you account for the fact that gas prices were below $3/gallon at the beginning of the year? Democrats in Colorado didn’t do anything to change that formula, and voters aren’t buying it:But The POLITICO Poll results from this month show voters don’t necessarily feel the same. Roughly 63 percent of Americans selected “the war with Iran” as the primary reason why gas prices have increased since Trump took office, including 59 percent of Trump voters and 70 percent of Harris voters. It’s easy to tie rising gas prices to the Iran War, which is solely the fault ofPresident Trumpand Congressional Republicans. Likewise, it’s not difficult to understand that groceries and other goods are getting more expensive because of Iran and Trump’s tariffs. Another increase in health insurance premiums is similarly simple to explain. Colorado lawmakers heard presentations today from the Colorado Commission on Medicaid; much of that discussion was unsurprisingly about the damage caused by HR-1 (the BBB) last July. Unless Republicans can convince Americans that transgender athletes are therealproblem in this country, there’s no serious argument that politicians such as Evans, Rep. Jeff Hurd(R-Grand Junction), and Rep. Jeff Crank(R-Colorado Springs) can present to voters for why they should be returned to Congress for another two years. Everything is getting more expensive, and the party in control of the White House and Congress isn’t doing a damn thing about any of it. Recent CommentsPosts about Donald TrumpPosts about Rep. Gabe EvansPosts about Rep. 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