The McKeesport couple earned about $81,000 last year but do not qualify for employer-sponsored coverage. Carrie, 54, works for an eye doctor. Jamie, 60, installs trim for a window and door company, but his cancer treatment limits his hours.
The monthly tumor-suppressing shot leaves him fatigued for days. One of his medications also affects his blood pressure — a risk when working on scaffolding. Still, Jamie insists he will push through.
“I’ll work more hours or whatever I need to do,” he said.
“He shouldn’t be working as much as he is,” Carrie added. “But he has to.”
Diagnosed in 2021 with neuroendocrine tumors, Jamie once had more than 80 tumors. A clinical trial at the National Institutes of Health in 2023 cut that number in half. But the cancer is persistent.
“It changes. It’s always in your body,” he said. “Higher numbers mean a higher chance of it spreading.”
When money became tight after the trial, the couple discovered Pennie’s enhanced tax credits — a lifeline. Switching to a cheaper plan, they say, would mean diminished care and higher deductibles.
“We get good care right now,” Jamie said. “With cancer, you have to prioritize what’s important.”
Carrie fears that if thousands drop coverage due to rising premiums, those who remain insured will face even steeper increases.
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, 30,000 Pennsylvania residents have already dropped their marketplace coverage ahead of the deadline.
She also worries that tariffs could raise the price of Jamie’s injection, which is manufactured in France.
Away from medical and financial anxieties, the Wrights stay active in their McKeesport neighborhood. Jamie built a heated shed for local stray cats; eight now live in their home. During warmer months, they hand out popsicles to neighborhood children. One of those children brought them Simba, a kitten with a severe eye infection — one of many cats Carrie now documents and fundraises for on social media.
“We’re hashtag cats and kids,” she joked.
Still, the couple knows their routine will change if the subsidies vanish.
Uncertainty in Washington
Two Senate proposals failed Thursday:
• A Democratic plan to extend the credits for three years, costing an estimated $83 billion over a decade.
• A Republican plan offering up to $1,500 per year for certain buyers while ending the subsidies altogether.
A House vote is expected next week, but details are unclear. With a tight 220–213 GOP majority, Republicans cannot afford a single defection before sending a bill to the Senate.
According to the Associated Press, steep premium hikes could politically damage Republican lawmakers in swing districts, including Pennsylvania Reps. Ryan Mackenzie and Brian Fitzpatrick. Both have joined bipartisan efforts to negotiate temporary extensions.
For now, the Wrights are relying on credit cards sparingly, aware that debt could pile up. Disability benefits are not an option until Jamie stops working entirely for at least six months — something his doctors have not advised.
“We’re going to figure it out,” Jamie said. “But so many people I’ve talked to — they’re getting punched in the face with cancer, and then they have to deal with this too.”
“They should be worrying about getting better,” Carrie added, “not how they’re going to pay for it.”
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