Premium Payments if Enhanced Premium Tax Credits Expire
This data note examines how the expiration of the ACA's enhanced premium tax credits could affect the out-of-pocket portion of premiums for different households.
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This data note examines how the expiration of the ACA's enhanced premium tax credits could affect the out-of-pocket portion of premiums for different households.
This analysis estimates that 48% of adults under age 65 with individual market coverage are either employed by a small business with fewer than 25 workers, self-employed entrepreneurs, or small business owners. Because the vast majority of this coverage is purchased through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplaces, changes to the ACA, including the expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits at the end of this year, would have significant implications for what small business owners and workers spend on their health care.
In his latest column, KFF’s President and CEO Dr. Drew Altman looks at why the issue of extending the enhanced ACA tax credits has languished in Congress without clear direction, despite its importance to the 24 million people who get their coverage in the ACA Marketplaces today and the potentially significant role the issue could play in the midterms if the credits are not extended.
Some insurers in the ACA’s small group market are citing tariffs, particularly those affecting prescriptions drugs, as a reason for higher-than-expected premium increases.
This analysis of preliminary rate filings submitted by 105 ACA Marketplace insurers in 19 states and DC shows that ACA Marketplace insurers are requesting a median premium increase of 15% for 2026, which would represent the largest hike in premiums since 2018, the last time policy uncertainty contributed to sharp premium growth. The scheduled expiration of enhanced tax credits and impact of tariffs on some drugs, medical equipment, and supplies are among the factors pushing premiums higher
This analysis of preliminary rate filings submitted by 105 ACA Marketplace insurers in 19 states and DC shows that ACA Marketplace insurers are requesting a median premium increase of 15% for 2026, which would represent the largest hike in premiums since 2018, the last time policy uncertainty contributed to sharp premium growth. The scheduled expiration of enhanced tax credits and impact of tariffs on some drugs, medical equipment, and supplies are among the factors pushing premiums higher
The Medicare Part D program provides an outpatient prescription drug benefit to more than 50 million older adults and people with long-term disabilities in Medicare who enroll in private plans, including stand-alone prescription drug plans (PDPs) to supplement traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans (MA-PDs) that include drug coverage and other Medicare-covered benefits. This brief analyzes Medicare Part D enrollment and costs in 2025 and trends over time, based on data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
This brief focuses on the stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan marketplace and its somewhat uncertain future, in light of recent trends in plan availability and the potential for another year of premium increases in 2026, in part depending on what the Trump administration decides to do with the temporary Part D premium stabilization demonstration. The brief explains why the stability of the PDP market matters, both for people in traditional Medicare who want prescription drug coverage but also for the viability of traditional Medicare as an option vis a vis Medicare Advantage.
This brief evaluates what is currently known about fraud and abuse in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace, including how the final Marketplace Integrity and Affordability Rule and the recently enacted budget reconciliation law change existing Marketplace enrollment and eligibility standards.
People with low incomes and limited financial resources can qualify for the Medicare Savings Programs, through which state Medicaid programs provide financial assistance with Medicare premiums and cost sharing. However, provisions in the GOP’s budget reconciliation bill would make it harder for people to enroll in these programs. Many people with Medicare are facing a relatively high financial burden associated with paying Part B premiums, and the reconciliation bill could drive that number higher.
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