"I pray to God that I'll be able to still see these doctors, because they saved my life," said Jim Hoft, founder and publisher of thegatewaypundit.com.
Just three months after being treated for a life-threatening disease, Hoft learned that his health coverage is being canceled. He told CNBC's "The Kudlow Report" on Thursday that it's because the Affordable Care Act has prompted insurance carriers to leave the marketplace in Missouri, where he lives.
"Ezekiel Emanuel told us this—that all these companies were going to get out of the market and it was going to be taken over by the government. That's what I'm finding out," he said.
"The company I had, that actually paid over seven figures for the surgeries I had here in St. Louis, they're pulling out of this market," Hoft said. "So now I have to find a different company, and it looks like I only have two options."
(Read more: Physician says Obamacare is causing 'chaos' for doctors)
In August, Hoft thought he had come down with a routine summer cold but quickly learned he had a serious strep infection. He credits his doctors and the hospital care he received with saving his life.
"After three days of taking cold medicine I lost vision in my left eye ... so I checked myself into the hospital," Hoft told Larry Kudlow.
"The bacteria had eaten a hole through my heart the size of a dime," he said. "It caused five different strokes on both sides of the brain ... and I had open heart surgery. They thought it would be four hours, it ended up being 12 hours. I had exceptional doctors who actually saved my life during the surgery. ... It's been traumatic, as you can imagine, but the last thing I wanted to think about was switching insurance at this time."
Like millions of Americans, Hoft now faces a Dec. 31 deadline to sign up for an ACA-compliant health-care plan. The Obama administration announced earlier this week that enrollment through insurance marketplaces rose sharply in November. More than 250,000 people signed up for plans last month—more than double the October number but still far below the target of 7 million.
(Read more: White House: Could extend Obamacare deadlines again)
In an attempt to help boost enrollment, the Obama administration announced Thursday that it would give some more time to buy health plans through the federal insurance marketplace.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius directed insurers to give consumers until the end of the year to pay for their plans. Insurance coverage in the federal marketplace begins Jan. 1. So far, the administration has not come close to balancing the millions of people who have lost coverage because of canceled plans that do not meet new standards outlined by the health law.
"It looks like I'll be paying higher premiums, it looks like I'll be paying a higher deductible, for the same coverage. I'm not yet sure about keeping the doctors, but I pray that I can," Hoft said.
—By CNBC's Ben Thompson. Follow him on Twitter @BenThompson00
The Associated Press contributed to this report.