For Mid-Income Families, ACA Costs Are a Catch-22

For months, federal health officials have been touting the low premiums available to people who purchase health plans on the Affordable Care Act exchanges. They've even singled out the Tampa Bay area, where the rates for standard Obama-care plans dropped an average of 2.4 percent from 2015.

But for some middle-income earners — especially individuals whose salaries hover around $47,080, the upper limit for receiving tax credits to help offset the cost of coverage — the monthly payments are a financial burden. What's more, many have plans with high deductibles and copays that can make accessing health care virtually impossible.