NPR.

This is the indicator from Planet Money.

I'm Whalen Wong.

And I'm Stephen Mishaha.

It is the end of the year, which means it is the time of rushing.

Rushing to catch a flight home for the holidays,

rushing for last-minute gifts, and for Congress, rushing to find a solution to a health care

deadline.

When the year ends, expanded subsidies for the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare,

will also end.

And that means the cost of insurance is about to get a lot more expensive for many

people, like Trisha Peña from Hermitage, Tennessee. This year, my premium for a very basic

bronze plan for one person is $197. Next month, it goes up to $1280.

$1,280. That is a more than $1,000 a month increase.

Trisha lost her job last year and decided early retirement was a better deal than trying to find a new job at 61.

She's in pretty good health, but she gets a lot of insurance subsidies because of her age, subsidies that are about to get cut.

I just can't in good conscience pay $1,300 a month for one person's insurance.

Despite this, Republicans have not been able to come together around one solution.

So we wanted to learn about how we got to this point, about the decision that got us

here, what we have to lose, and what the future holds. And to do that, we are turning to a

classic holiday tale. Yes, today on the show, we are getting a visit from the ghost of Obamacare

past, present, and future. Our first ghostly guide is the ghost of Obamacare past, present, and future.

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