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About the ACA

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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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  • Health Reform Implementation: When Sausage-Making Moves Downtown

    Event Date:
    Event

    Panelists at this briefing examine what's happening behind the scenes to implement the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. An overview of federal policymaking and the efforts by stakeholders and others to affect final policies pertaining to the health reform law is provided. The session will look into key tools and levers available to the federal government, including formal rulemaking and other policy processes, as well as efforts by stakeholders and others to affect final…

  • Research Brief: Insurance Coverage and Access to Care in Primary Care Shortage Areas

    Issue Brief

    As both federal and state governments gear up to implement the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), concerns about the supply and distribution of physicians, particularly primary care physicians, are being raised. In many areas of the country, there is a shortage of primary care physicians, and some worry about whether the current workforce can meet the growing demand for services that will likely accompany coverage expansions. To inform provider workforce issues related to…

  • Financial Alignment Models for Dual Eligibles: An Update

    Issue Brief

    The nearly nine million dual eligibles who receive both Medicare and Medicaid benefits are a high cost, high need population, accounting for a disproportionate share of expenditures relative to their enrollment in both programs. In April 2011, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the award of design contracts to 15 states to develop service delivery and payment models to integrate care for dual eligibles. CMS and the participating states have recognized that…

  • Is COVID-19 a Pre-Existing Condition? What Could Happen if the ACA is Overturned

    Policy Watch

    If the ACA is overturned, federal law protection for people with pre-existing health conditions would end.  This post examines what that could mean for people in the time of COVID-19, including whether and how insurers could deny coverage to people who have had COVID or other pre-existing conditions.

  • 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…

  • Which lawfully present immigrants qualify for Marketplace coverage?

    FAQs

    Lawfully present immigrants generally include: lawful permanent residents (or “green card holders”); persons fleeing persecution, including refugees and asylees; other humanitarian immigrants, including those granted temporary protected status; Cuban/Haitian entrants; survivors of domestic violence, trafficking, and other serious crimes; and persons with valid non-immigrant visas, such as work or student visas. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients are no longer eligible for ACA Marketplace coverage. For a list of qualified immigration statuses for the…

  • I’m covered under my parents’ health insurance plan, but I’m moving to another state. Can I remain covered on my parents’ plan?

    FAQs

    Yes, you are eligible to stay on your parents’ plan up to age 26 if they have coverage through a job, or until the end of the year you turn 26 if they have Marketplace coverage, regardless of where you live. However, your parents’ health plan probably has a network of participating health care providers, and it may be difficult for you to find in-network providers when you are living in another state. If you…

  • 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…