During testimony before the Subcommittee on Aviation, Space, and Innovation, Eileen Spickler of Ottawa, Kansas, told senators that premium tax credits are the only reason her husband can afford ACA marketplace coverage and that planned expiration of enhanced credits would force them to drop coverage.

Spickler said she and her husband were able to keep coverage in 2025 with a $109 monthly premium and “we received almost $1,200 per month in subsidies.” She testified that without the credits, her husband Barry would be uninsured until he qualifies for Medicare, and that the family’s out‑of‑pocket reality includes food pantry use and difficulty paying for medical care.

Ranking Member Duckworth used Spickler’s testimony to press the committee on the political causes of the shutdown and to argue that the hearing should not be used for partisan point‑scoring. Spickler said her experience is “lived experience” and pleaded with senators to remember individual families when debating the policy choices that affect access to care.

The witness’s account was entered into a larger hearing focused on aviation operations, but senators acknowledged the substantive human consequences Spickler described and accepted documents into the record, including a letter from Kansas health care providers and policy briefs quantifying coverage losses if enhanced premium tax credits expire.

The committee did not take legislative action on the tax‑credit issue during this hearing; Senators and witnesses signaled they would pursue relevant documents and questions for the record.