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What We Know about Trump’s $500 ACA Checks and the User Fees Funding Them

This analysis examines the $500 checks that the Trump administration is sending to some Affordable Care Act Marketplace enrollees and the user fees that are paying for them. The checks are going to about 1 million enrollees in the 30 states that rely on the federal HealthCare.gov Marketplace who are not receiving any tax credits this year.

Individual Market Enrollment Declined by 18% Since June 2025

Individual Market Enrollment Fell 18%, Suggesting Continued ACA Marketplace Losses

Enrollment in the individual health insurance market fell by 18%—over 4.6 million people—from 25.2 million in June 2025 to 20.5 million in June 2026. Falling individual market enrollment suggests further decline in ACA Marketplace enrollment this year, since Marketplace enrollees represent the vast majority of individual market coverage. The enrollment decline coincides with the expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits and other policy changes that are expected to reduce enrollment.

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?

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  • State Exchange Profiles: South Dakota

    Other Post

    Final update made on April 19, 2013 (no further updates will be made)  Establishing the Exchange On September 26, 2012, Governor Dennis Daugaard (R) announced that South Dakota would not establish an exchange.1However, the state intends to maintain regulatory authority over the health insurance market and perform the plan management function for the exchange.2 The decision to have a federally-facilitated exchange was made after an inter-agency work group and a taskforce of stakeholders and legislators explored…

  • State Exchange Profiles: Utah

    Other Post

    Final update made on May 21, 2013 (no further updates will be made)  Establishing the Exchange After making health system reform one of the state’s top policy priorities, Utah’s former Governor Jon Huntsman (R) signed legislation in 2008 (HB 133) and 2009 (HB 188) which directed the Office of Consumer Health Services to create the Utah Health Exchange.1  Current Governor Gary Herbert (R) signed into law additional legislation amending provisions related to health system reform in…

  • State Marketplace Profiles: Hawaii

    Other Post

    Final update made on November 6, 2013 (no further updates will be made)  Establishing the Marketplace On July 11, 2011, Governor Neil Abercrombie (D) signed SB 1348 into law establishing the Hawaii Health Connector, a State-based health insurance Marketplace.1  The law builds on Hawaii’s Prepaid Health Care Act of 1975 (PHCA) which required nearly all employers to provide health insurance to employees working 20 or more hours a week for four consecutive weeks.2  Structure: The legislation established the…

  • State Exchange Profiles: Indiana

    Other Post

    Final update made on December 13, 2012 (no further updates will be made)  Establishing the Exchange In November 2012, Governor-elect Mike Pence (R) announced that he would not move forward with setting up a state-based health insurance exchange when he takes office in 2013.1 During his term, Governor Mitch Daniels (R) had signed Executive Order #11-01 in 2011 to conditionally establish and operate the Indiana Insurance Market, Inc., a nonprofit corporation to serve as the…

  • State Marketplace Profiles: Arkansas

    Other Post

    Final update made on October 29, 2013 (no further updates will be made) Establishing the Marketplace On December 12, 2012, Governor Mike Beebe (D) informed federal officials that Arkansas would pursue a state-federal partnership health insurance Marketplace (also referred to as exchange).1  A state opting for a partnership Marketplace can choose to operate plan management functions, consumer assistance functions, or both. A state can also elect to perform Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)…

  • State Marketplace Profiles: Kentucky

    Other Post

    Final update made on November 11, 2013 (no further updates will be made) Establishing the Marketplace On July 17, 2012, Governor Steven L. Beshear (D) issued Executive Order 587 establishing the Kentucky Health Benefit Exchange (KHBE) after the Supreme Court ruled to uphold the Affordable Care Act (ACA).1  In May 2013, the state announced that its online Marketplace would be called kynect. Prior to the Executive Order, the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services led Marketplace…

  • In Employer Health Insurance Costs, Stability Is the New Normal

    From Drew Altman

    In his latest column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman looks at the sharply slower growth in premiums for employer health benefits and what it might mean for the future of employer-sponsored coverage.

  • Low-Wage Workers Feel the Pinch on Health Insurance

    From Drew Altman

    In this column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman explores how low-wage firms and their workers are faring in the employer-based health insurance market and how the Affordable Care Act may influence future trends.

  • Report Provides Insights from Consumer Assisters on Improving Affordable Care Act’s Next Open Enrollment

    News Release

    A new report from the Kaiser Family Foundation and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation captures insights from those who helped consumers navigate the Affordable Care Act's first open enrollment period, including lessons for the second , which is set to start Nov. 15. “Taking Stock and Taking Steps: A Report from the Field after the First Year of Marketplace Consumer Assistance Under the ACA” draws on the experiences of 80 program leaders who participated in a…