When Coverage Changes, Hope Still Exists

If you’ve felt like health insurance has been shifting under your feet, you’re not imagining it. In 2026, many families are facing a tougher, more confusing coverage landscape—especially working families who were already walking a financial tightrope.

Two big changes are colliding at the same time.

First, Indiana—like every state—has been going through Medicaid “redeterminations” after the end of the pandemic-era continuous coverage rules. That process has led to large numbers of people being disenrolled nationwide, often for paperwork or renewal barriers as much as for eligibility changes.

Second, the enhanced financial help that made Marketplace coverage more affordable from 2021 through 2025 has now ended. Those enhanced premium tax credits were a temporary expansion that applied for tax years 2021–2025. Congress did not extend them, and many families are already feeling the impact in 2026 premiums and affordability.

What this means

For some neighbors, the problem isn’t that they don’t want coverage—it’s that the math no longer works.

A parent may lose Medicaid because a form didn’t get returned in time, because mail was missed, or because income fluctuated and the renewal process couldn’t keep up. Others will “do everything right,” but still discover they’re no longer eligible.

At the same time, many working families who rely on Marketplace plans are facing higher monthly premiums now that enhanced subsidies have expired. National analyses project that millions could lose Marketplace coverage and become uninsured as costs rise and families are forced to make hard choices.

In plain terms: more people will fall into a gap—working, trying, contributing, and still unable to afford the coverage and care they need.

What this means for Hope

This is exactly why Hope Healthcare Services exists.

We serve individuals and families without insurance—without geographic boundaries, income limitations, or a waiting period—so neighbors have a place to turn when coverage changes, premiums rise, or life doesn’t fit into a neat eligibility category.

If you’re uninsured right now, you still have options. Affordable care still exists. And you are not alone.

If you know someone who has lost Medicaid, can’t afford their Marketplace plan anymore, or is simply going without care because it feels out of reach—please tell them about Hope. Encourage them to call. Encourage them to come in. A simple conversation can be the first step back toward stability and health.

And if you’re a supporter of Hope, this is a moment where spreading the word matters just as much as giving. The need is growing, but so is what we can do—when our community links arms.