Hispanic business leaders turned up the pressure on Congress this week, warning that more than 1 million Miami-Dade County residents could face sticker shock if federal health care tax credits lapse at the end of 2025. They say the fallout would hit employers, workers, and hospitals — and they want lawmakers to cut a deal when they return to Washington after Labor Day.
The Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce hosted the bilingual event in Doral on Tuesday. FSHCC President Julio Fuentes said the enhanced premium tax credits “made health care affordable for millions of Floridians.”
Allowing them to expire would mean skyrocketing premiums for families and small businesses, with ripple effects on jobs and the state’s economy. Hispanic employers and workers, who disproportionately rely on the tax credits, would be among the hardest hit. Fuentes urged Congress to extend them through a stand-alone bill or funding package.
SFHCC President Liliam Lopez called the issue central to South Florida’s workforce. She said that Marketplace enrollment has doubled since 2021, with Hispanic families making up roughly a third of enrollees. Rolling back the credits, she warned, would erase coverage gains and strain emergency rooms. “South Florida thrives when people are healthy and insured,” Lopez said.
The chambers brought in speakers to drive the point home. Insurance broker Michelle Febres said health plans are already pricing in steep hikes for 2026 under the assumption that enhanced tax credits will disappear. That move will spill over into employer plans and raise everyone’s rates.
Primary care physician Dr. Alicia Rodriguez-Jorge said hospitals will be “overwhelmed” as more uninsured patients delay care until emergencies. Small business owner Marquis Moore described Marketplace coverage as the difference between keeping up with doctor visits and going without.
The Conservative Calculus in DC
Here’s the political rub for Republicans: Open enrollment begins November 1, and 24 million Americans will log in to renew their health coverage. Unless Congress acts, they’ll get sticker shock facing premium increases so big they’d wipe out any benefit from the Trump tax cuts.
About 80% of Marketplace enrollees live in states that voted for Trump in 2024. If premiums jump, will voters blame — and punish — Republicans in Congress in the 2026 midterms? It wouldn’t take many swing district flips to change control of the House. Democrats pulled off that exact playbook in 2018 when they made health care access their top issue.
What Happens Next
Florida’s delegation will be at the center of the fight, with Miami Republicans like María Elvira Salazar, Carlos Giménez, and Mario Díaz-Balart representing districts with some of the country's highest numbers of Marketplace enrollees. Many of them are Hispanic small business owners who could see premiums skyrocket.
Local business leaders at Tuesday’s event made clear they’ll be pressing their hometown members hard to extend the enhanced premium tax credits ahead of September’s bipartisan funding talks.
But the politics are simple: If GOP leaders overlook Florida’s massive population of self-employed and small business families, they may find themselves facing angry voters — and a rude awakening in 2026.
