Louisiana seniors should brace for higher Medicare costs as premiums will jump

WASHINGTON — Soaring health care costs will be top of the agenda when Congress returns to work Monday afternoon after a weeklong Thanksgiving holiday.

Lawmakers will mostly be trying to find some path to avoid doubling insurance premiums in the Affordable Care Act marketplace for 24.3 million working Americans , 292,994 of whom live in Louisiana. The extended credits expire on Dec. 31.

Republicans want to revamp Obamacare, which they claim has failed to lower health care costs. Democrats favor extending tax credits that help low-income workers and small businesses pay for insurance before wading into needed fixes.

Meanwhile, workers who buy their insurance through their employers are likely to see their 2026 policy costs climb by about 7%, according to most reports.

One rising heal