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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?

The ACA MarketplaceS

In Preliminary Rate Filings, ACA Marketplace Insurers Largely Propose Double-Digit Premium Increase For 2027, Following a Steep Climb This Year 

ACA Marketplace insurers are proposing a median premium increase of 14% for 2027— indicating a likely second consecutive year of double-digit increases, according to a new analysis of preliminary rate filings in 16 states and DC. If these increases hold, typical premiums for insurers participating in the ACA Marketplaces would jump by more than one-third between 2025 and 2027.

The Average Marketplace Deductible Grew by About $1,000 Per Person in 2026, With More Enrollees Shifting to Higher-Deductible Plans as Enhanced Tax Credits Expired

The average Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace deductible experienced the steepest increase in history—growing by 37% or over $1,000, from $2,759 in 2025 to $3,786 in 2026 as enhanced premium tax credits expired, according to a new KFF analysis. After the enhanced tax credits ended, many Marketplace shoppers shifted toward lower-premium, higher-deductible plans.

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  • ANALYSIS: ACA Marketplace Premiums Rise Substantially in 2018, But Many Will Pay Less for Coverage

    News Release

    Premiums will rise substantially in 2018 Affordable Care Act marketplace plans for states using HealthCare.gov, but in many cases, people receiving premium tax credits will pay less than they did in 2017, a new Kaiser Family Foundation analysis finds. The new analysis includes county-level interactive maps charting premium changes of lowest-cost gold, silver, and bronze plans for consumers with and without premium tax credits in the 2018 HealthCare.gov marketplaces. For people not eligible for tax…

  • ANALYSIS: ACA Silver Plan Premium Increases from 7% to 38% Attributed to End of Cost-Sharing Payments

    News Release

    Insurers factored in premium increases ranging from 7 percent to 38 percent exclusively in silver plans to absorb the financial impact of the loss of cost-sharing reduction payments from the federal government, a new Kaiser Family Foundation analysis finds. The approach, used by insurers in many states, shields consumers from steep rate hikes, because tax credits defraying the cost of premiums rise dollar-for-dollar along with benchmark silver rates. Eighty-four percent of marketplace enrollees received premium…

  • How the Loss of Cost-Sharing Subsidy Payments is Affecting 2018 Premiums

    Issue Brief

    This analysis of 32 states and Washington, D.C., tracks data on 2018 Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace premium increases that insurers directly attributed to the end of cost-sharing reduction payments, which reimburse insurers for providing marketplace health plans with reduced out-of-pocket costs for lower-income people. Following months of uncertainty, the Trump administration announced on Oct. 12 that the payments would be discontinued immediately, although insurers must still offer the subsidized coverage.

  • Data Note: Public’s Views of a National Health Plan

    Feature

    The Kaiser Family Foundation's Health Tracking Poll from October 2017 asked the public of their views of a national health plan, and whether they favor or oppose the implementation of such a program. While about half of the public favors having a national health plan, there is a strong partisan divide with the majority of Republicans strongly opposing such a plan and nearly half of Democrats strongly favoring the plan. This poll also asked the…

  • How Medicaid Section 1115 Waivers Are Evolving: Early Insights About What to Watch

    Issue Brief

    While efforts to pass major federal legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and restructure and reduce federal Medicaid financing may be on hold temporarily, the focus of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and states is expected to turn to achieving significant Medicaid program changes through Section 1115 demonstration waivers. This issue brief presents three questions to help analyze the evolution of federal waiver policy as new waiver proposals…