Profit over people

My name is Dr. Mary Landwehr, and I am a family physician from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.

Recently, my family was notified by our insurance broker that our health insurance premium will increase—possibly even double—beginning January 1, 2026.

Our monthly premium for a three-person family basic health insurance plan is $1,792, and it may rise by another $961 as the Premium Tax Credit (PTC) ends.

Currently we pay $21,504 annually in health insurance premiums. This may increase to $33,036 annually when the credits expire. There's no increase in coverage—just cost.

The reality is stunning: I'm a physician who provides health care to others, yet I may soon be unable to afford my own health insurance.

I am self-employed and have four wonderful full-time employees who depend on the health insurance benefits my clinic provides. If premiums rise as projected, I may be forced to close my practice because I simply cannot absorb the financial burden. The same insurance companies raising premiums reimburse independent clinics so poorly that financial survival becomes nearly impossible.

The consequences extend beyond small practices. People like you and me will forgo health coverage altogether if the PTC is not reinstated or another measure adopted stabilizing premiums.

Already, 25% of Americans skip appointments, and 21% fail to take medications due to cost. These are not choices—they are acts of desperation.

Health care should not be a privilege available to those who can afford rising premiums. When profit outweighs people, everyone's health is at risk.

Mary Landwehr

Chippewa Falls