The Rundown: Affordable Care Act premiums up 25%
Good afternoon! It’s Friday, and today I learned Downtown Chicago used to have six train terminals. (As a train nerd and avid traveler, I wouldn’t mind returning to the golden age of rail travel.) Here’s what you need to know today.
1. Obamacare premiums in Illinois rose sharply but less than expected
Monthly payments for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, did not increase by as much this year as Illinois officials initially expected after the expiration of federal tax credits that made coverage significantly more affordable.
In Illinois, officials had estimated that enrollees would see an average increase of 78% in their monthly premiums this year. But nearly three months after open enrollment ended, Illinois officials say premiums only rose by about 25%, my colleague Elvia Malagón reports.
The drop-off in enrollees also has not been as steep as expected, at about 4%. In 2025, a record 465,985 individuals across the state signed up for the ACA. That number decreased this year to 448,568 enrollees, according to state data.
Still, medical providers in the Chicago area say it’s too soon to see the full impact of the expired subsidies, particularly because large numbers of people were auto-enrolled in coverage who could still drop off. Providers also worry that increases in health care costs in general are adding to the increasing number of uninsured patients they are seeing. [Chicago Sun-Times]
2. Some Chicagoans aren’t paying federal taxes in protest of Trump policies
Protesting has long involved picketing, marches and even hunger strikes. But some Chicagoans, angered over the Trump administration’s tactics, are trying a different form of civil disobedience: not paying their federal taxes.
When Chicago attorney Rachel Cohen sat down to do her taxes earlier this year, she thought about the half-dozen times she had been tear-gassed or struck with pepper pellets at protests against federal deportation tactics.
“I was thinking about my willingness to be hit with chemical weapons,” Cohen told WBEZ. “And I couldn’t square giving the federal government $10,000 with being willing to get arrested or put my body on the line.”
“War tax resistance” organizers say they’re seeing a barrage of new interest in their longstanding movement by people appalled at the federal government’s aggressive deportation efforts, U.S. support for Israel in the war in Gaza and the U.S.-Israel war against Iran.
The consequences of not paying federal taxes can range from threatening letters from the Internal Revenue Service to a monthly fine of up to 1% of the taxes owed. Consequences for not filing a federal tax return are worse, with a 5% fine attached. In extreme cases, tax protesters could face wage garnishment, property seizures or prison time, though criminal prosecutions are rare, according to University of Chicago law professor David Weisbach. [WBEZ]
3. After a fight night gone wrong, the historic Berwyn Eagles club will stop hosting wrestling
The final events this weekend include a sold-out show hosted by AAW Pro Wrestling today and a lucha extravaganza from All Star Lucha Libre tomorrow, Ambar Colón reports for the Chicago Sun-Times.
Wrestling fans say that the Eagles Club offered budget-friendly prices and free parking. Some of the world’s biggest wrestling stars have shed blood, sweat and tears in the club, making it a cornerstone venue for a sport that combines athleticism, entertainment and sometimes raw brutality.
The plans to end wrestling at the venue came after a fight broke out between an unnamed fan and wrestler Mads Krule Krügger at a March 28 Ruthless Pro Wrestling show. Videos posted to social media showed wrestlers and attendees punching and kicking the fan.
The videos sparked misleading reports from some dirt sheets — wrestling news websites — that someone had been stabbed. But according to a police report obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times, Berwyn officers found that no stabbing occurred. [Chicago Sun-Times]
4. West Garfield Park is celebrating its nearly $50 million wellness center
About the size of a football field, the Sankofa Village Wellness Center beams along Madison Street, a once-bustling corridor devastated by white flight and the 1968 riots that has not seen big investment in decades. At the new center, residents can see a doctor or a dentist, play in the indoor gym, stroll on a walking track or get help finding a job.
It was years in the making and created with community input to improve health disparities in West Garfield Park, my colleague Kristen Schorsch writes for WBEZ. In 2023, residents in this mostly Black neighborhood were expected to live until 67 years old — the lowest life expectancy in Chicago — compared to 87 in the Loop, where the majority of residents are white.
New Chicago public health data for 2024 shows progress. Residents in West Garfield Park can now expect to live on average about three years longer, until they’re 70 years old. This community now ranks third for having the lowest life expectancy, with Fuller Park on the South Side ranking first. [WBEZ]
Book lovers will have the chance to explore local shops during tomorrow’s annual Chicagoland Bookstore Crawl, held alongside the national Independent Bookstore Day, my colleague Cindy Hernandez reports.
All 84 participating stores offer their own specialties and curated selections reflecting the interests of their neighborhoods, said Ryvre Hardrick, organizer of the crawl and owner of Goblin Market in Lake View.
The number of participating shops nearly doubled from last year, a shift Hardrick said reflects owners’ desire to keep building connections with their neighbors as well as growing interest in “analog hobbies.”
Bookstore owners said their mission has always been to create spaces their communities can gather, and as larger retailers move into their neighborhoods, they are doubling down on those efforts. [Chicago Sun-Times]
Here’s what else is happening
- The Justice Department dropped its investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, paving the way for the U.S. Senate to confirm Kevin Warsh, the president’s nominee to head the central bank. [NPR]
- A U.S. soldier was charged with using classified information to bet on Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro’s removal. [NPR]
- United Airlines is considering raising ticket prices 15% to 20% to offset fuel costs due to the war in Iran. [Chicago Sun-Times]
- Ferrero North America launched the first Nutella flavor in more than 60 years, and it’s exclusively made in the Chicago area. [Chicago Sun-Times]
Oh, and one more thing …
Friko’s sophomore album could be described as the musical equivalent of “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” Chicago Sun-Times music critic Selena Fragassi writes. Except the band’s unending touring journey from Chicago and back again the past couple of years entailed trains, vans, bikes and hot air balloons.
“Life and traveling were the most overarching influences of this album,” singer and guitarist Niko Kapetan said of “Something Worth Waiting For.”
Out today on ATO Records, the transient-natured album is carried by songs like the indie mad dash of “Choo Choo,” the pensive charmer “Dear Bicycle” and the soft hum of “Hot Air Balloon,” the latter of which was inspired by the band waking up one morning in an Albuquerque Cracker Barrel parking lot to see the colorful orbs of the city’s International Balloon Fiesta filling the sky. [Chicago Sun-Times]
Tell me something good …
What’s your favorite place to go for a bike ride in the Chicago area, and why?
Susan writes:
“One of my favorite rides is from the North Side (Irving and Damen) to the South Side (35th and Racine).
I start at North Center, and take mostly side streets heading south to the Bridgeport Arts Center: Wolcott, Damen to cross the North Branch, Leavitt, Oakley to Tri-Taylor (where the 1000 block of S. Claremont is the prettiest street in the city); 13th st east to Paulina; south to Pilsen (with a bathroom break in Harrison Park at Wood and 18th); Loomis to cross the South Branch to Bridgeport; west to Racine, to head south to 35th Street and the Bridgeport Arts Center. (Have a coffee at the Base Cafe, and check out the Chicago Maritime Museum.)
Reverse to come back home. It is especially beautiful in the autumn. Mostly side streets, great old houses, wonderful trees... And I highly recommend a great, old bike with a comfy, cushy seat!”
Thanks for the responses this week! It was great hearing from everyone.
Discussion in the ATmosphere