ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) As the country approaches 42 days of a record-long government shutdown, the ripple effects are being felt in Roanoke.
With no resolution on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) credits, people can see a sharp monthly price increase on health insurance in 2026. On top of rising costs for medication and doctors, this could lead to some difficult decisions for people who may not visit the doctor quite often.
“They’re asking me, ‘Why do I have this, if I’m going to have to pay that much to only go to a doctor twice a year? I can pay out of pocket, and it would be a lot cheaper,’” Stephen Meador, a health insurance broker with Meadorcare, said. “In my opinion, that’s a very good question, and there’s not very many ways at this point; I don’t have too many options to pivot to.”…