The ghosts of Obamacare past, present and future : The Indicator from Planet Money

ANNOUNCER: NPR.

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WAILIN WONG: This is The Indicator from Planet Money. I'm Wailin Wong.

STEPHAN BISAHA: And I'm Stephan Bisaha. It is the end of the year, which means it is a time of rushing, rushing to catch a flight home for the holidays, rushing for last-minute gifts, and for Congress, rushing to find a solution to a health care deadline.

WONG: When the year ends, expanded subsidies for the Affordable Care Act-- also known as Obamacare-- will also end. And that means the cost of insurance is about to get a lot more expensive for many people, like Trisha Peña from Hermitage, Tennessee.

TRISHA PENA: This year, my premium for a very basic bronze plan for one person is $197. Next month, it goes up to $1,280.

BISAHA: $1,280-- that is a more than $1,000-a-month increase.

WONG: Trisha lost her job last year and decided early retirement was a better deal than trying to find a new job at 61.

BISAHA: She's in pretty good health, but she gets a lot of insurance subsidies because of her age, subsidies that are about to get cut.

PENA: I just can't, in good conscience, pay $1,300 a month for one person's insurance.

BISAHA: Despite this, Republicans have not been able to come together around one solution.

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WONG: So we wanted to learn about how we got to this point, about the decision that got us here, what we have to lose, and what the future ho