Home Affordable Care Act Topics

Affordable Care Act

The ACA MarketplaceS

Change in February effectuated enrollment, by state, 2025-2026

How Has ACA Marketplace Enrollment Changed Across States in 2026?

ACA Marketplace enrollment fell this year in every state except New Mexico, which was the only state to fully replace the enhanced premium tax credits that expired last year with a state-funded subsidy, according to a new KFF analysis of effectuated enrollment data. The Marketplace enrollment decline—the first in seven years—follows several years of rapid enrollment growth and coincides with the end of the enhanced federal subsidies.

How Much and Why ACA Marketplace Premiums Are Going Up in 2027

ACA Marketplaces insurers are proposing a median premium increase of 15% in 2027, according to KFF’s updated analysis of 276 insurers with publicly available filings across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. This is the second consecutive year of double-digit premium hikes. Last year’s median nationwide proposed rate change was 18%, and the median finalized rate change was 20%. While this proposed rate change is lower than last year, it represents the second-highest requested rate change since 2018, as premium growth had been relatively flat in this market for several years.

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

991 - 1,000 of 2,787 Results

  • California’s Uninsured on the Eve of ACA Open Enrollment

    Report

    This report presents the findings of a baseline survey of California’s uninsured adult population just before the start of the first open enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). It will be followed by three other surveys over the course of the next two years that will capture the changing experiences and attitudes of this same group of 2,000 people over time, whether they obtain coverage or remain uninsured. The report analyzes the uninsured…

  • Obamacare y Usted: Si compra seguro médico en el mercado individual

    Fact Sheet

    Si usted compra su plan de salud por su cuenta (en vez de tener cobertura a través de su empleador), usted tendrá nuevas opciones para tener su cobertura, pero la Ley del Cuidado de Salud a Bajo Precio requiere que usted esté asegurado o será multado. Qué está cubierto Bajo Obamacare, los planes de salud deben cubrir visitas al doctor, hospitalizaciones, recetas de drogas y cuidado materno sin restricciones por condiciones preexistentes, o condiciones físicas…

  • A Closer Look at the Courts’ Impact on Health Policy

    News Release

    In his latest column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman maps what the combined impact of the Supreme Court decision on the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion and a plaintiff’s win in Halbig would look like and discusses the impact of court decisions on health policy. All previous columns by Drew Altman are available online.

  • Expanding Medicare to Adults at Age 60 Years—Medicare-for-More?

    Perspective

    In this column for the JAMA Health Forum, Larry Levitt examines the implications of lowering Medicare’s age of eligibility, which is emerging as a potential pathway toward Medicare-for-all or a public option among single-payer advocates. He explores the implications for costs, industry, people and broader reform efforts.

  • Consumer Assistance in Health Insurance: Evidence of Impact and Unmet Need

    Issue Brief

    The Affordable Care Act (ACA) established in-person consumer assistance programs to help people identify coverage options and enroll. A variety of professionals provide consumer assistance, including Navigator programs that are funded through state and federal marketplaces, brokers who receive commissions from insurers, local non-profit organizations, and health care providers. In the spring of 2020, KFF surveyed consumers most likely to use or benefit from consumer assistance to learn who uses consumer assistance, why they seek…

  • 2020 Health Insurance Marketplace Calculator

    Interactive

    The Health Insurance Marketplace Calculator, updated with 2020 premium data, provides estimates of health insurance premiums and subsidies for people purchasing insurance on their own in health insurance exchanges (or “Marketplaces”) created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). With this calculator, you can enter your income, age, and family size to estimate your eligibility for subsidies and how much you could spend on health insurance.

  • Updated Subsidy Calculator and 300+ FAQs Help Consumers Understand the ACA Marketplaces as Open Enrollment Begins

    News Release

    Ahead of the annual Affordable Care Act (ACA) open enrollment period, the time during which consumers can shop for health plans or renew existing coverage, KFF has updated its Health Insurance Marketplace Calculator and its searchable collection of more than 300 Frequently Asked Questions about open enrollment, the health insurance marketplaces and the ACA. KFF’s Health Insurance Marketplace Calculator provides estimates of 2021 health insurance premiums and subsidies for people purchasing insurance on their own in health…

  • I entered the U.S. lawfully and I’m over 65, but I don’t qualify for Medicare. Can I apply for coverage and subsidies in the Marketplace? Will my premium be higher because I’m over age 65?

    FAQs

    You can currently purchase Marketplace coverage and qualify for subsidies depending on your income. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients are no longer eligible for health coverage through the Marketplaces, and starting in 2027, certain other lawfully present immigrants will no longer be eligible for subsidized Marketplace coverage. Premiums for Marketplace plans can vary by age unless states decide otherwise. In most states, your premium (before taking into account tax credits) could be up…

  • What happens if I just make up an income level that I know will qualify me for financial assistance?

    FAQs

    That’s not advisable. The Marketplace will check the information you provide against a number of databases (including IRS data, Social Security data, wage databases, and others). If the information you provide is very different from what’s in these databases, you may be asked to provide additional documentation. In addition, at the end of the Application for Health Coverage and Help Paying Costs, you will have to sign that you have provided true answers to all…