ACA Subsidies: Falsely Claiming High Earners Get 'Free Health Care'

Healthcare Source: Press Conference

Statement

Source: Press Conference, November 13, 2025; WRFA Interview Reported by: WSKG, WRFA-LP Jamestown

“There’s some people that make $300,000 or $400,000 a year that are somehow leveraging that into free health care. I don’t agree with that.”

Langworthy stated he would not “blanketly agree to just pushing forward” the enhanced ACA tax credits, calling them “failed policy” and “Covid emergency spending” that “enriches the insurer.”

Why This Matters for NY-23

Over 6,300 residents in NY-23 are enrolled in the ACA marketplace. If the enhanced tax credits expire:

  • A single person in Chautauqua County earning $65,000 would pay $1,252 more per year
  • A family of four earning $130,000 would pay $2,547 more per year

When a congressman uses false claims about wealthy people getting “free health care” to justify opposing these credits, the people who actually lose coverage are middle-class families in rural communities — not the fictional $400,000 earners he describes.

The Law

Current ACA Premium Tax Credit Structure (as of 2025):

  • People above 400% of Federal Poverty Level pay a maximum of 8.5% of household income for benchmark Silver plan
  • At $300,000 income: minimum payment = $25,500/year ($2,125/month)
  • At $400,000 income: minimum payment = $34,000/year ($2,833/month)
  • In most markets, benchmark premiums don’t exceed $20,000-25,000 annually
  • Result: People at these income levels receive no subsidy whatsoever because premiums already cost less than 8.5% of their income

Context

Langworthy’s claim that people earning $300,000-$400,000 receive “free health care” is demonstrably false under the mathematical structure of the ACA.

Impact on NY-23 if enhanced credits expire (per Sen. Gillibrand’s office):

  • Single person in Chautauqua County earning $65,000: premiums increase $104.30/month ($1,252/year)
  • Family of four earning $130,000: premiums increase $212.26/month ($2,547/year)
  • Over 6,300 NY-23 residents enrolled in ACA marketplace (per KFF)

Timeline of enhanced credits:

  • Created: American Rescue Plan Act (March 2021)
  • Extended: Inflation Reduction Act (August 2022)
  • Set to expire: December 31, 2025
  • OBBB provision: Does not extend enhanced credits

As of November 2025, Langworthy had not committed to voting for any extension of the credits, stating: “I think we have to find an off-ramp on how to get off of these subsidies.”

In Plain Language

Langworthy claims people earning $300,000-$400,000 get “free health care” through the ACA. This is mathematically impossible under how the law works — at those income levels, people receive zero subsidies because their premiums are already below the cost threshold.

The real impact of opposing the enhanced credits isn’t on wealthy Americans who don’t receive them anyway — it’s on the thousands of NY-23 families earning $50,000-$130,000 who would see their premiums jump by $100-$200 per month.

Sources

  • WSKG: “‘Governing means putting your country first’—Rep. Langworthy on longest shutdown in US history” (November 14, 2025)
  • WRFA-LP Jamestown: “Rep. Langworthy Not Committing To Voting On ACA Enhanced Tax Credits Extension” (November 13, 2025)
  • KFF: ACA Marketplace Enrollment Data
  • Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand: Premium Impact Estimates (October 2025)
  • Healthcare.gov: Premium Tax Credit Eligibility Rules

Note: This entry documents publicly available information from official sources and news reports. Readers may draw their own conclusions.

Last updated: December 22, 2025