Residents in the United States are set to experience significant changes to the country’s tax code, healthcare system and government benefits at the start of 2026.That’s because, on Thursday, certain provisions of President Donald Trump’s signature tax and spending package are scheduled to take effect.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listKnown as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), the package was signed into law in July, amid bipartisan pushback.Fiscal conservatives feared it would add to the country’s deficit, while critics on the left warned that the changes it heralded would leave millions of US citizens without health insurance or food assistance.Notably, the OBBBA passed without extensions to the COVID-era healthcare subsidies that are slated to expire on Thursday.Democrats have warned that, without those subsidies, health insurance premiums purchased under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are set to skyrocket.What changes should Americans expect heading into 2026, and how will they be affected? We break down the new policies for the start of the new year.What is the One Big Beautiful Bill Act?Even before Trump took office for a second term in January 2025, he floated the idea of creating one sweeping bill that would capture many aspects of his platform.“Members of Congress are getting to work on one powerful Bill that will bring our Country back, and make it greater than ever before,” he wrote on January 5.That idea became the foundation for the OBBBA, which Trump sig …
