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

1,451 - 1,460 of 2,787 Results

  • How Health Care Factors Into the Presidential Campaign

    From Drew Altman

    In this column for The Wall Street Journal's Think Tank, Drew Altman discusses how health care issues have cooled in the election season but matter more for certain voting groups than others, and for “health care voters” encompass more than the Affordable Care Act.

  • Two Substantive Sides to Debate Over Obamacare’s ‘Cadillac Tax’

    From Drew Altman

    In this column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman says debate about whether to keep or repeal the Cadillac tax is more than a debate between sound policy and good politics, there are strong substantive arguments on both sides.

  • Medicaid in a Time of Growth and Change: Findings from the Annual Kaiser 50-State Medicaid Budget Survey at a Forum with the National Association of Medicaid Directors

    Event Date:
    Event

    The Kaiser Family Foundation’s Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured (KCMU) released its 15th annual 50-state Medicaid budget survey for state fiscal years 2015 and 2016. Kaiser and the National Association of Medicaid Directors (NAMD) held a joint briefing to discuss key findings and highlight trends in enrollment and spending as well as policy changes in Medicaid programs around the country.

  • The Symbolic Manipulation of Health Issues in Elections

    From Drew Altman

    KFF President and CEO Drew Altman explains why data and facts, policy plans and lists of accomplishments do not connect with many voters. Understanding the symbolic dimensions of politics and issues is critical for experts. We can reach a share of the public with facts and data but need additional strategies to reach everyone, including storytelling and trusted messengers.

  • SCOTUS Case Could Weaken the Impact of Regulation on Key Patient and Consumer Protections

    Issue Brief

    This brief discusses the longstanding legal doctrine, Chevron deference, being challenged in two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and includes examples of what could be at stake for health care consumers should federal courts no longer use this doctrine to address litigation related to federal health regulations. The focus here is on patient and consumer protection regulation, but overturning the Chevron deference would have implications in all areas of health care.

  • Supreme Court Decision Limiting the Authority of Federal Agencies Could Have Far-Reaching Impacts for Health Policy

    Issue Brief

    On June 28, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a longstanding legal precedent that required federal courts to defer to reasonable agency interpretation when statutes are ambiguous. The decision will shift many policy decisions from federal agencies to federal judges, with implications for health policy that will reverberate for years to come. This issue brief examines the decision and assesses what’s ahead.

  • Access to Adult Dental Care Gets Renewed Focus in ACA Marketplace Proposal

    Policy Watch

    Adult dental care can lead to high out of pocket costs for consumers, especially for those with private insurance coverage. This post analyzes a proposed provision in the HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2025, and possible implications for consumers who have Marketplace coverage.

  • How Has ACA Marketplace Enrollment Changed Across States in 2026?

    Issue Brief

    Following several years of rapid enrollment growth in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplaces that corresponded with temporary enhanced premium tax credits, enrollment fell for the first time in seven years in 2026, when those tax credits expired. Every state except for New Mexico saw a drop in ACA Marketplace enrollment from 2025 to 2026. State-based Marketplaces that run their own enrollment platforms, including those that partially offset the expiring federal enhanced tax credits, generally…

  • Me enteré que mi cobertura de Medicaid terminó. ¿Qué hago ahora?

    FAQs

    Si pierde Medicaid pero cree que aún califica, comuníquese con su agencia de Medicaid. Si su cobertura terminó hace menos de 90 días, es posible que pueda enviar los formularios y documentos requeridos y restablecer su cobertura. En este caso, su cobertura será retroactiva a su fecha de baja. Si su cobertura terminó hace más de 90 días, es probable que deba volver a aplicar para Medicaid. Si la agencia de Medicaid dice que usted…