United States: these changes to Obamacare would affect millions

Changes to Obamacare could affect millions in 2026, specialists and media outlets in the United States said. What is it about?

United States prepares for a possible significant reform in its public health system. Federal Administration already proposed modifications to the Affordable Care Actknown as Obamacare, which could come into effect in January 2026.

These reforms, still in the public review stage, raise concerns about their potential impact on older adults, DACA beneficiaries immigrants y low-income people.

The draft presented by the government includes a series of structural changes that would directly affect access to the medical coverage:

1. Reduction of subsidies for those over 50 with relatively high incomes. This measure could increase premium costs, even for those facing financial difficulties.
2. One shorter registration period, which would limit the time available to register or change plans, affecting those facing logistical or informational barriers.
3. Restrictions on special registrations for low-income individuals. If this option is removed, losing your job or facing a medical emergency would not be enough to access the system outside the official deadline.
4. End of automatic re-enrollment, forcing users to manually renew their health plan each year, risking losing coverage due to simple mistakes.
5. Exclusion of DACA beneficiaries, which would leave thousands of young immigrant students currently part of the system without access to healthcare coverage.
6. Mandatory tax declaration as a condition to maintain health insurance. This would mainly affect informal workers and entrepreneurs.

Reactions: concern about exclusion and inequality with changes to Obamacare

According to public health experts, the changes could translate into a greater inequality in access to healthleaving out those who need medical assistance the most.

Civil rights organizations have also expressed their rejection, warning that the reform represents a backward in the progress made since the implementation of Obamacare

An analyst of the Kaiser Family Foundation He warned that "limiting automatic re-enrollments or excluding people for migration reasons contradicts the original spirit of the law."

The proposal is still in public consultation, which means that any citizen can submit their comments or objections through the official portal www.regulations.govParticipation is essential, as comments will be reviewed before making a final decision.

While the government argues that these reforms seek "greater efficiency and reduce the fraudmany fear that it is a strategy to ease the tax burden at the expense of the most vulnerable sectors

With the presidential elections still recent and a new political cycle beginning, the fate of Obamacare is once again at stake. The possible implementation in January 2026 would mark a turning point for the healthcare system in the United States.