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Affordable Care Act

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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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  • Making Health Care Work for American Families: Medicaid and Access to Care

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    Diane Rowland, executive vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation and executive director of the Foundation's Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, testified March 24, 2009, before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health as part of a hearing entitled “Making Health Care Work for American Families: Access to Care." Rowland, appearing as part of a panel, addressed why Medicaid can be a platform for health care reform and can be instrumental in efforts…

  • Addressing Disparities in Health and Health Care — Issues for Reform

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    Marsha Lillie-Blanton, Dr.P.H., Kaiser senior advisor on race, ethnicity and health care, testified before the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee about the role of health insurance in reducing disparities in health care and in health status. The testimony is part of an ongoing health reform hearing series. Testimony (.pdf) Slides (.ppt)

  • Today’s Topics In Health Disparities: What Might Health Reform Mean for Women of Color?

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    This December 16, 2009, Today's Topics In Health Disparities webcast examined aspects of the current Senate and House health reform bills that particularly impact women of color. Women tend to be greater users of the health care system than men, have higher rates of some chronic illnesses, and have unique reproductive health care needs. Women also tend to take the lead when it comes to obtaining health care for their family members. Provisions such as…

  • The Part D Experience: What are the Lessons for Broader Medicare Reform?

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    Launched in 2006, Medicare added a prescription drug benefit that relies entirely on private plans, while, for other benefits, beneficiaries have a choice between private health plans and traditional fee-for-service Medicare. As policymakers consider changes to Medicare that would give an even greater role to private health plans in caring for Medicare’s nearly 50 million seniors and people with disabilities, the Kaiser Family Foundation hosted a policy workshop to examine how the Part D experience…

  • Today’s Topics In Health Disparities: The Effect of the Economic Downturn on the Health of Communities of Color

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    Transcript (.pdf) On Wednesday, March 25, the Kaiser Family Foundation held a live, interactive webcast to examine the economic downturn’s impact on health care in communities of color as part of its Today's Topics In Health Disparities series. Rising unemployment has left many families uninsured and increasingly strained family finances are prompting some Americans to cut back on medications and forgo preventive care. The panel discussed these and other potential implications of the economic crisis,…

  • ¿Cuánto puedo ganar y calificar para subsidios para las primas en el mercado?

    FAQs

    Los subsidios para las primas están disponibles para quienes contratan una cobertura del mercado de seguros y cuyos ingresos son al menos iguales al nivel federal de pobreza. Para una persona, esto significa un ingreso de al menos $15.650 en 2026. Para una familia de cuatro, esto significa un ingreso de al menos $32.150 en 2026. Esta calculadora de subsidios del mercado de seguros puede mostrarle su elegibilidad para diferentes montos de ingresos y tamaños…

  • Making Sense of the Census Uninsured Numbers

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    The Alliance for Health Reform and the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Commission and Medicaid and the Uninsured discuss the Census uninsured numbers. The Census Bureau announced that the number of people without health insurance dropped from 50 million to 48.6 million in 2011, marking the first decrease since 2007. That information came from the Current Population Survey, but it isn't the only data that Census is releasing on the uninsured. The Bureau is preparing a second…

  • Testimony Related to Health Reform

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    The Kaiser Family Foundation is frequently invited to provide expert testimony before Congress on key health care issues. Testimony At NAIC Exchanges Subgroup Public HearingKaiser Family Foundation Vice President Gary Claxton, who directs the Foundation's Marketplace Policy Project, testified July 22, 2010, before the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' Exchanges (B) Subgroup established by the health reform law. Private Long-Term Care Insurance and the Challenge of Closing the Long-Term Care Funding GapAt a June 3…

  • Health Care After the Supreme Court Decision: What’s Next?

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    The Alliance for Health Reform and the Kaiser Family Foundation discuss the recent Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of the health reform law. Panelists explore such questions as: What does the court's ruling mean for those without health insurance? Will states that choose to participate in the Medicaid expansion be ready to cover nearly all non-disabled adults under age 65 with household incomes at or below 133 percent of the federal poverty level as…

  • Trends in Health Insurance Coverage in the U.S.: The Impact of the Economy

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    The rising number of uninsured, who they are and how they might obtain health insurance coverage were much debated during the consideration and passage of health reform in the last year. Panelists at this briefing examined the recent health insurance coverage numbers and trends, what they mean, who the newly uninsured are and the impact of being uninsured. They also reviewed what states are doing during the current economic climate and how they are preparing…