Enhanced ACA subsidies are set to expire at the end of the year, potentially affecting up to 900,000 North Carolinians who could see their premiums double in 2026.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — U.S. Sen. Ted Budd addressed concerns about expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits and celebrated the Lumbee Tribe’s federal recognition during an interview with Live Impact News on Thursday.
The enhanced ACA subsidies are set to expire at the end of the year, potentially affecting up to 900,000 North Carolinians who could see their premiums double in 2026. However, Budd downplayed the impact, claiming 81% of North Carolinians are satisfied with their current health care plans.
“If you go back to 16 years ago, almost to the very week, that’s when Obamacare passed,” Budd said. “But if you have to subsidize it, which they had to do a few years later, it was never affordable to begin with.”
Budd said only 3% of potential premium increases relate to pandemic-era subsidies, calling them “insignificant.” He emphasized Republican alternatives, including allowing insurance purchases across state lines, expanding short-term health care plans and requiring price transparency from hospitals.
The senator has introduced the Compete Act with Sen. Ted Cruz, which would extend short-term insurance plans to 364 days with continuous renewal options. Budd said any health care legislation must protect coverage for pre-existing conditions.
Budd also celebrated the passage of the Lumbee Fairness Act, which grants full federal recognition to the 60,000-member tribe after 137 years. The provision was included in the National Defense Authorization Act, which President Donald Trump is expected to sign.
“These are 60,000 great individuals,” Budd said. “They’re patriots. So many of them serve in our military.”
The NDAA authorizes $765 million for North Carolina military installations, including Fort Bragg, home to the 82nd Airborne Division. The bill also includes pay increases for troops and eliminates diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives from the military.
“The focus is not diversity. The focus is lethality for our military,” Budd said, adding that recruiting has improved since the Trump administration began.
Budd also discussed the Rotor Act, legislation he co-sponsored requiring military aircraft to activate tracking systems in complex airspace. The bill follows a January 2024 collision between a Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines jet near Washington that killed 67 people, including a Charlotte-based flight crew.
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