Covered California Premiums Rising 11.4% in Rep. Valadao’s district as H.R. 1 Fallout Hits Central Valley

BAKERSFIELD, CA – Covered California announced today that health insurance premiums will rise by an average of 9.9% next year, with Kern County families facing an even steeper 11.4% increase. Covered California Executive Director Jessica Altman pointed directly to actions by the Trump administration as a major driver of the hike — including new eligibility restrictions, added paperwork burdens for families applying for financial help, and barriers that make it harder for workers to keep their health care.

The increase follows last year’s H.R. 1 – Trump and Congressional Republicans’ so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” – which Rep. David Valadao (CA-22) voted for, calling it “not an easy decision” in a statement defending his vote. Kern County, at the heart of Valadao’s district, is now facing one of the steepest premium increases in the state.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Legislature have moved to soften the blow, expanding the state’s subsidy program from $190 million to $300 million, which is projected to help more than 500,000 Californians reduce their monthly premiums in 2027. But state investments can only do so much to offset the damage caused by federal cuts.

“David Valadao lined up behind Trump and Congressional Republicans’ plan to shift nearly $1 trillion into the pockets of big corporations, and voted to make everyday Californians pay the price with our health care,” said Kiran Savage-Sangwan, Executive Director of the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, on behalf of the Fight for Our Health coalition. “Today the cost is becoming more clear as we learned working people will have to dig deeper into their budgets – and make harder trade offs – to keep their health coverage. Too many families are already going into debt or skipping care because they can’t afford doctor’s visits or medicines; Trump and Valadao’s reckless cuts to health care put lives on the line.”

The Fight for Our Health coalition — led by Health Access, the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, and SEIU California — is committed to defending affordable health care for all Californians against federal cuts that have already caused widespread harm and threaten far worse in the years ahead.

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