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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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  • 2019 Health Insurance Marketplace Calculator

    Interactive

    The Health Insurance Marketplace Calculator, updated with 2019 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.

  • The ACA is Doing Fine Without a Mandate Penalty

    From Drew Altman

    In an Axios column, Drew Altman explains that the elimination of the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate penalty has had little impact on how the ACA’s insurance markets are working, showing that “the marketplaces continue to function, even when 'severed' from the mandate penalty,” and undercutting a central argument in the lawsuit seeking to strike down the entire law.

  • State Actions to Improve the Affordability of Health Insurance in the Individual Market

    Issue Brief

    A number of states have taken steps to provide consumers with more affordable coverage options in the individual market, including the marketplaces. Some states are implementing strategies that lower premiums by building on, and increasing the stability of the individual market, while other states are expanding the availability of lower cost coverage sold outside the marketplaces that does not comply with ACA standards—an approach that could increase marketplace premiums further. This brief examines these different…

  • State Marketplace Profiles: Delaware

    Other Post

    Final update made on October 10, 2013 (no further updates will be made) Establishing the Marketplace In July 2012, Governor Jack Markell (D) indicated that Delaware would begin planning for a State Partnership Marketplace.1  Delaware will retain plan management and consumer assistance functions, and defer other Marketplace management functionality to the federal government.2  In July 2013, the state announced that the Marketplace would be called Choose Health Delaware. The Delaware Health Care Commission, housed within the Department…

  • State Marketplace Profiles: New Hampshire

    Other Post

    Final update made on November 1, 2013 (no further updates will be made) Establishing the Marketplace On June 18, 2012, Governor John Lynch (D) signed HB 1297 into law, which prohibits the state from participating in or enabling a state-based health insurance Marketplace. However, HB 1297 allows for state agencies or departments to “operate specific functions of a federally-facilitated exchange."1  Given this authority, newly-elected Governor Maggie Hassan (D) informed federal officials on February 13, 2013 that…

  • State Marketplace Profiles: New York

    Other Post

    Final update made on September 30, 2013 (no further updates will be made) Establishing the Marketplace After the New York State legislature failed to pass exchange legislation, Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) signed Executive Order 42 on April 12, 2012, to establish the New York Health Benefit Exchange.1  In August 2013, the state announced that the online marketplace would be called NY State of Health.2  Structure: The Executive Order establishes the New York Health Benefit Exchange…

  • State Exchange Profiles: Alaska

    Other Post

    Final update made on December 4, 2012 (no further updates will be made)  Establishing the Exchange On July 17, 2012, Governor Sean Parnell (R) announced that Alaska will not create a state-run health insurance exchange, and instead will allow the federal government to operate an exchange in the state.1 While a bill establishing an exchange was introduced in the 2011 legislative session and reconsidered in 2012, it failed to pass. Prior to the announcement that the…