Home Topics

Affordable Care Act

The ACA MarketplaceS

What We Know about Trump’s $500 ACA Checks and the User Fees Funding Them

This analysis examines the $500 checks that the Trump administration is sending to some Affordable Care Act Marketplace enrollees and the user fees that are paying for them. The checks are going to about 1 million enrollees in the 30 states that rely on the federal HealthCare.gov Marketplace who are not receiving any tax credits this year.

Individual Market Enrollment Declined by 18% Since June 2025

Individual Market Enrollment Fell 18%, Suggesting Continued ACA Marketplace Losses

Enrollment in the individual health insurance market fell by 18%—over 4.6 million people—from 25.2 million in June 2025 to 20.5 million in June 2026. Falling individual market enrollment suggests further decline in ACA Marketplace enrollment this year, since Marketplace enrollees represent the vast majority of individual market coverage. The enrollment decline coincides with the expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits and other policy changes that are expected to reduce enrollment.

About the ACA

Promotional image for KFF video How Affordable is the Affordable Care Act

Did the Affordable Care Act Make Health Care More Affordable?

The expiration of the ACA’s enhanced premium tax credits at the start of 2026, combined with rising insurer premiums, put a spotlight on health care affordability that extends beyond Marketplace enrollees. KFF’s Cynthia Cox examines the ACA’s record and the broader underlying question it raises: what’s a fair price for Americans people to pay for health care?

Latest News

More KFF Health News

Stay informed.

Get KFF's latest on the Affordable Care Act

Stay informed.

Get KFF's
latest on the Affordable
Care Act

View the Latest: Affordable Care Act

Filter

List Grid

1-10 of 2,799 results

  • Frequently Asked Questions about the ACA’s Health Insurance Marketplace

    FAQs

    What are premium tax credits and how do they work? How much can I earn and qualify for premium tax credits in the Marketplace? What income is counted in determining my eligibility for premium tax credits? Who is eligible for Marketplace premium tax credits? Can I buy health insurance outside of the Marketplace that meets all ACA consumer protection standards? My employer pays 100% of the premium for workers, but nothing for spouses and kids.…

  • Preguntas frecuentes sobre el Mercado de Seguros Médicos de la Ley de Cuidado de Salud a Bajo Precio

    FAQs

    ¿Cómo funcionan los subsidios para las primas? ¿Cuánto puedo ganar y calificar para subsidios para las primas en el mercado? ¿Qué ingreso cuenta para determinar mi elegibilidad para recibir subsidios? ¿Quién es elegible para recibir subsidios para las primas? ¿Puedo comprar un seguro de salud por fuera del mercado que cumpla con todos los estándares de ACA? Mi empleador paga el 100% de la prima para los trabajadores, pero no aporta nada al costo de…

  • What We Know about Trump’s $500 ACA Checks and the User Fees Funding Them

    Issue Brief

    This analysis examines the $500 checks that the Trump administration is sending to some Affordable Care Act Marketplace enrollees and the user fees that are paying for them. The checks are going to about 1 million enrollees in the 30 states that rely on the federal HealthCare.gov Marketplace who are not receiving any tax credits this year – a small share of the 19.2 million people who were enrolled nationally as of February.

  • Status of State Medicaid Expansion Decisions

    Interactive

    This page displays an interactive map of the current status of state decisions on the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion. Additional Medicaid expansion resources are listed (with links) below the map.

  • What Could Medicaid Work Requirements Mean for People with Disabilities Waiting for Medicare Coverage?

    Issue Brief

    This analysis finds that Medicaid through the expansion pathway covered over 1 in 4 SSDI applicants and beneficiaries waiting to become eligible for Medicare (120,300 people out of a total 415,300 in 2023). In future years, people applying for and new to SSDI may experience difficulties maintaining Medicaid prior to becoming eligible for Medicare because of the new work requirements.

  • Individual Market Enrollment Continues to Fall Through Mid-2026

    Issue Brief

    Enrollment in the individual health insurance market fell by 18%—over 4.6 million people—from 25.2 million in June 2025 to 20.5 million in June 2026. Falling individual market enrollment suggests further decline in ACA Marketplace enrollment this year, since Marketplace enrollees represent the vast majority of individual market coverage.

  • How Does ACA Marketplace Enrollment in 2026 Vary Across Congressional Districts?

    Issue Brief

    KFF’s new interactive maps illustrate ACA Marketplace enrollment and changes in enrollment by congressional district and state. Marketplace enrollment declined in most congressional districts between 2025 and 2026, with two-thirds of the decline (67%) occurring in Republican-held congressional districts.

  • A Guide to the Role of Health in the Midterms

    From Drew Altman

    In a new column, President and CEO Dr. Drew Altman says health care costs are playing a significant role in the midterms as one dimension of voters’ concerns about cost of living, and explains why pollsters, analysts, and candidates should look at it that way, and not as a separate voting issue. He writes, “The ‘issue’ that matters most in this election is cost of living and the cost of health care is a central…