Affordable Care Act

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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  • Mi pareja y yo no estamos casados y tenemos dos hijos. ¿Cómo contamos el tamaño y los ingresos de nuestro hogar cuando solicitamos créditos fiscales en el mercado de seguros? ¿Podemos comprar un plan pa...

    FAQs

    Suponiendo que sea elegible para recibir subsidios para pagar las primas, el monto de su crédito se calculará en función de cómo presente sus impuestos. Si, por ejemplo, declara a su pareja y a sus hijos como dependientes fiscales, se le considerará un hogar de cuatro personas cuando solicite las subvenciones. Otro ejemplo: si usted y su pareja presentan impuestos por separado y cada uno reclama a uno de sus hijos, cada uno de ustedes…

  • Recibí un Formulario 1095-B por correo. ¿Qué es?

    FAQs

    Las aseguradoras, ciertos planes de salud patrocinados por el empleador y programas de salud pública como Medicaid pueden proporcionarle documentación que indique los meses del año anterior en los que estuvo cubierto por el plan. Los proveedores de cobertura pueden enviarle el Formulario 1095-B directamente, pero en algunos casos, es posible que deba pedirlo a su proveedor. Si usted estaba inscrito en la cobertura familiar, el formulario 1095-B indicará los nombres de todos los miembros…

  • How Individual Market Enrollment Changed with the Enhanced Premium Tax Credits

    Feature

    This chart examines individual market enrollment data from 2011 through 2025, when enrollment reached a record high of 25.2 million people. Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace enrollment increased following the enactment of enhanced premium tax credits in 2021, as more individuals became eligible for subsidies.

  • How Have State Medicaid Expansion Decisions Affected the Experiences of Low-Income Adults? Perspectives from Ohio, Arkansas, and Missouri

    Issue Brief

    This brief examines the experiences of low-income adults in three states that have made varied Medicaid expansion decisions: Ohio, which adopted the ACA Medicaid expansion, Arkansas which implemented the Medicaid expansion through a “Private Option” waiver, and Missouri, which has not adopted the expansion. While Arkansas and Ohio implemented the expansion in different ways, participants in both states described how obtaining coverage improved their ability to access care, contributing to improvements in their ability to…

  • Workplace Wellness Programs Characteristics and Requirements

    Issue Brief

    This issue brief summarizes what’s known about workplace wellness programs offered by employers today and the use of financial incentives to encourage workers to participate. Findings are drawn from the KFF/HRET Annual Employer Health Benefits Survey. In addition, the brief reviews proposed changes by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in federal standards governing financial incentives by workplace wellness programs and how these changes might balance the use of incentives against other discrimination and privacy…

  • Will GOP Candidates’ Positions on Obamacare Matter in Crowded Field?

    News Release

    In his latest column for The Wall Street Journal's Think Tank, Drew Altman analyzes the politics of Republican Affordable Care Act replacement plans and the challenges all Republican candidates will face distinguishing themselves from others on the ACA in a crowded primary field. All previous columns by Drew Altman are available online.

  • The Affordable Care Act Doesn’t Rank Highly As an Issue for Voters in the Presidential Primaries

    News Release

    Despite Anecdotal Reports about Narrow Networks, 87% of Working-Age Adults with Insurance Are Satisfied With Their Plan's Choice of Doctors; 12% Say They Had to Change Doctors in Past Year As the ACA's Open Enrollment Nears End, Most of Those Who Remain Uninsured Are Disengaged While this month Congress passed and President Obama vetoed legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act, voters nationally aren't focused on the law in this year's presidential election, the latest…