The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.
KFF’s policy research provides facts and analysis on a wide range of policy issues and public programs.
KFF designs, conducts and analyzes original public opinion and survey research on Americans’ attitudes, knowledge, and experiences with the health care system to help amplify the public’s voice in major national debates.
KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the organization’s core operating programs.
Overall enrollment in the individual market fell 5% to 13.7 million in the first quarter of 2019 following the repeal of the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate penalty.
Overall enrollment in the individual market fell 5% to 13.7 million in the first quarter of 2019 following the repeal of the ACA’s individual mandate penalty.
This analysis measures changes in enrollment in the individual market, including those in both marketplace plans and off-exchange plans, before and after the ACA’s coverage expansions and market rules went into effect in 2014 through the first quarter of 2019.
Three key private health insurance markets -- Medicare Advantage, the individual market and the fully-insured group market -- appear to be financially healthy and attractive to insurers, according to a new KFF analysis. The private Medicare Advantage market generates significantly larger gross margins per person than the individual market or fully-insured market, the analysis finds.
Three key private health insurance markets -- Medicare Advantage, the individual market and the fully-insured group market -- appear to be financially healthy and attractive to insurers. The private Medicare Advantage market generates significantly larger gross margins per person than the individual market or fully-insured market. The future of these markets has become a focus for policymakers amid the debate over Medicare for All.
A number of states have taken steps to provide consumers with more affordable coverage options in the individual market, including the marketplaces. Some states are implementing strategies that lower premiums by building on, and increasing the stability of the individual market, while other states are expanding the availability of lower cost coverage sold outside the marketplaces that does not comply with ACA standards—an approach that could increase marketplace premiums further. This brief examines these different approaches and discusses the implications of state policy choices.
Karen Pollitz, senior fellow for health reform and private insurance at KFF, answers three questions about denied claims and how the federal government may change the data insurers are required to report on this issue.
A new KFF analysis finds that Affordable Care Act marketplace premiums are least affordable for older adults who earn too much to qualify for federal subsidies, especially those living in rural areas where premiums are highest.
This analysis finds that Affordable Care Act marketplace premiums are least affordable for older adults who earn too much to qualify for federal subsidies, especially those living in rural areas where premiums are highest. The analysis also discusses a variety of state and federal proposals that seek to lower premiums for middle-class people buying their own insurance who are ineligible for ACA subsidies.
KFF's Karen Pollitz testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means on Jan. 29, 2019 examines the prevalence of pre-existing conditions, the impact of the Affordable Care Act's prohibition against medical underwriting and other provisions aimed at stabilizing the insurance risk pool, and the trade-offs involved in relaxing those provisions.
© 2025 KFF