Oregon’s U.S. Senators were in Eugene Monday to talk about funding for Affordable Care Act health insurance subsidies.
Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley spoke at a press conference at the Lane County Health & Human Services building. They said Oregonians who buy their insurance through the A.C.A. marketplace will pay 68% more on average when new rates come out later this week.
Merkley said increases will likely hit the entire health insurance market as well.
“We’re expecting a projected 10% average increase across the state on people just buying insurance directly from a provider,” he said.
Among those who joined the senators was Chris Bratton, a hairdresser who said he stands to lose a $1,000 a month tax subsidy that helps cover his family’s health insurance.
“If that doesn’t continue, our premiums will go from $700 to $1,700, not including any sort of inflation or rise in the price of the premium,” said Bratton.
Wyden said he thinks his Republican colleagues likely spent their days at home hearing about upcoming insurance rate hikes, and he hopes that will help in negotiating a solution.
“That’s what we’re talking about, the chance to sit down, work something out in a bipartisan way. And there’s proof that we can do it,” he said.
The senators also spoke at a press conference Monday afternoon in Portland with other lawmakers at the Oregon Health and Science University’s Rood Family Pavilion.
(From left to right) U.S. Rep. Maxine Dexter, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, and U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas at a press conference at Oregon Health & Science University Oct. 13, 2025. The senators and representatives said health insurance premiums will rise dramatically if lawmakers allow Affordable Care Act tax credits to expire at the end of 2025. They also addressed the possibility of a National Guard deployment in Portland.
Riley Martinez / OPB
At the event, Gail Menasco, a small business owner from Bend, said the rate hike would severely impact her family.
“My family, me, my husband and my daughter — we have to have insurance,” Menasco said. “I’m a cancer survivor. My husband has cerebral palsy.
“I have a 10-year-old daughter. We cannot afford to go without insurance.”
Funding for Affordable Care Act subsidies has become a sticking point in the ongoing federal government shutdown, which began at the start of October.
Lawmakers also took questions from reporters on the possible deployment of National Guard troops in Portland.
Merkley said the ongoing protests outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in South Portland do not match President Donald Trump’s negative descriptions of the city. He also said the efforts represent an abuse of power.
“This is authoritarianism that is not around the corner down the street,” Merkley said. “It is here right now, and we are united in standing up for the vision of our Constitution with its checks and balances.”
Zac Ziegler is a reporter with KLCC. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.
OPB reporter Riley Martinez contributed to this story.
