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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

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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?

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  • 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 Exchange Profiles: Arizona

    Other Post

    Final update made on December 4, 2012 (no further updates will be made) Establishing the Exchange  On November 28, 2012, Governor Jan Brewer (R) informed federal officials that Arizona would default to a federally-facilitated health insurance exchange.1 Prior to her decision to default, the Governor had established the Office of Health Insurance Exchange to “organize the health insurance marketplace for easier evaluation by individuals and small businesses to acquire affordable health insurance.”2 While legislation establishing a…

  • State Exchange Profiles: South Carolina

    Other Post

    Final update made on December 10, 2012 (no further updates will be made) Establishing the Exchange On November 15, 2012, Governor Nikki Haley (R) informed federal officials South Carolina would default to a federally-operated health insurance exchange.1 This decision was largely based on findings from the South Carolina Health Planning Committee which had concluded the state cannot implement a state-based exchange as required by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and should instead encourage the establishment of…

  • 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…

  • State Exchange Profiles: Wisconsin

    Other Post

    Final update made on December 11, 2012 (no further updates will be made) Establishing the Exchange  On November 16, 2012, Governor Scott Walker (R) notified federal officials that Wisconsin would default to a federally-facilitated health insurance exchange.1 After initial efforts to develop a state-based health insurance exchange, Governor Walker announced in July 2012, he would not take any action to implement federal health reform until after the November elections.2 In 2011, Walker had issued an executive order…

  • State Exchange Profiles: Alabama

    Other Post

    Final update made on December 4, 2012 (no further updates will be made) Establishing the Exchange Despite previously supporting Alabama’s implementation of a state-based health insurance exchange, Governor Robert Bentley (R) announced on November 13, 2012, the state will default to a federally-facilitated exchange.1 Prior to the decision, Governor Bentley issued Executive Order 17 which created the Alabama Health Insurance Exchange Study Commission to recommend how Alabama should establish a health insurance exchange.2 The Governor appointed…

  • Health Reform and the Art of Federalism

    Perspective

    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced significant changes to the premiums charged in the Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP), aka the "high risk pool" created by the Affordable Care Act. Premiums will now be up to 40% lower depending on the state (in some states the cost to enrollees is unchanged), and application procedures will be eased. The PCIP plans provide coverage for people who cannot buy coverage in the…

  • Who Will be the H&R Block and TurboTax for Health Insurance?

    Perspective

    There's been quite a bit of focus lately insofar as these issues go, anyway on health insurance agents and brokers (sometimes known in the industry as "producers"). They are pushing legislation that has been introduced in Congress and is now being studied by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners that would exempt agent and broker commissions for health insurance from minimum medical loss ratio (MLR) thresholds established in the health reform law. (The MLR is…

  • KFF/Harvard Survey on Public’s Health Care Agenda for the 112th Congress Finds An Uptick in Public Opposition to Health Reform As GOP Ramped Up Repeal Campaign

    Perspective

    Though the public remains divided on health reform overall, according to a new survey jointly conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard School of Public Health, opposition to the new law ticked upward in January from 41 percent to 50 percent as Republicans ramped up efforts to repeal it. The survey also showed that there is no groundswell of public support for overturning the law, with 47 percent wanting to either expand the law…

  • Kaiser November Tracking Poll Finds Health Care a Factor in Congressional Election, But Not a Dominant One

    Perspective

    This month’s Kaiser Health Tracking Poll, conducted during the four days following the mid-term election, asked voters in an open-ended question to name in their own words the biggest factors influencing their vote for Congress, and found that health care was a factor, but not a dominant one. Among all voters, the factor mentioned most often was the economy/jobs (29%). The next two most mentioned factors were party preference (25%) and views of the candidates…