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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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  • Los YouToons se preparan para Obamacare

    Video

    Antes del inicio del período de inscripción abierta, el 1 de octubre, la Kaiser Family Foundation presenta un video en español para que el público comprenda mejor los cambios que vienen próximamente bajo la Ley de Cuidado de Salud a Bajo Precio (Affordable Care Act o ACA, en inglés). “Los You Toons Se Preparan para Obamacare” explica las nuevas opciones que tendrán los estadounidenses para obtener seguro médico en el año 2014. /// Before the…

  • Explaining Health Reform: Eligibility And Enrollment Processes For Medicaid, CHIP and Subsidies in the Exchange

    Issue Brief

    The new health reform law will require most U.S. citizens and legal residents to have health coverage by 2014. It provides new options for coverage by expanding Medicaid eligibility to more low-income people and creating a state-based system of health insurance exchanges through which individuals can purchase coverage, with federal subsidies for many. This brief and accompanying explanatory chart summarize key requirements that states face under health reform to construct coordinated and consumer-friendly enrollment systems…

  • Why Premiums Will Change for People Who Now Have Nongroup Insurance

    Perspective

    The federal government recently released draft regulations that address the benefits, market rules, and rating practices for nongroup coverage. Before reform, the nongroup market was widely acknowledged to be broken, with restricted access, limited benefits, high administrative costs, and frequent and large premium increases subject to inadequate oversight. Recent requests for large premium hikes for nongroup coverage in some states, at a time when the group market is experiencing very low increases, have revived concerns about current pricing…

  • Health Insurance Premiums in the Individual Market in 2010

    Feature

    Health Insurance Premiums in the Individual Market in 2010 Download Source Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of 2010 insurer filings to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners using the Mark Farrah Associates Health Coverage Portal. The Average premium is calculated as total premium revenues in a state divided by the number of total member months. The per member per month premium is an average across adults and children, so will be lower than a premium typically…

  • Translating The Medicaid Expansion Into Increased Coverage: The Role Of Application Assistance

    Event Date:
    Event

    Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), beginning in 2014 all states will employ streamlined, technology-driven enrollment systems to help eligible people sign up for insurance affordability programs, including Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program and the new health insurance exchange marketplaces. Even with these streamlined systems in place, application assistance will be important for helping to translate the ACA's Medicaid and other coverage expansions into increased coverage. The Kaiser Family Foundation's Commission on Medicaid and…

  • What is a grandfathered plan? How do I know if I have one?

    FAQs

    Grandfathered plans are those that were in existence on March 23, 2010, and have stayed basically the same. Grandfathered plans are not required to provide all of the benefits and consumer protections required by the Affordable Care Act. For example, a grandfathered plan might not cover preventive health services, it might charge higher premiums based on health status or gender, and it might exclude coverage for pre-existing conditions. If you buy coverage on your own and you…

  • 2024 Calculadora del Mercado de Seguros Médicos

    Feature

    2024 Esta calculadora ilustra las primas (el costo mensual de su seguro) y subsidios para las personas que compran seguro médico por su propia cuenta en el nuevo mercado de seguros de salud (o de intercambio) creado por la Ley de Cuidado de Salud a Bajo Precio (Affordable Care Act, ACA, en inglés). Con esta calculadora, usted puede introducir diferentes niveles de ingresos, edades, y el tamaño de su familia para obtener un estimado de…

  • El año pasado, durante la inscripción abierta, solicité asistencia financiera y el mercado de seguros determinó que era elegible para recibir créditos fiscales para pagar las primas. Sin embargo, hacia...

    FAQs

    No, existe una regla especial para proteger a las personas en sus circunstancias. Si el Mercado determinó que usted era elegible para recibir créditos fiscales para las primas en el momento de inscribirse (porque su mejor estimación en ese momento era que su ingreso anual sería al menos el 100 % del nivel federal de pobreza), y si sus ingresos posteriormente cayeron por debajo del nivel de pobreza, todavía es elegible para los créditos fiscales…

  • Tuve seguro médico el año pasado a través de un plan del mercado, pero pagué la prima completa durante el año. Ahora que he hecho mis impuestos, sé que mis ingresos del año fueron menos del 400% del niv...

    FAQs

    Sí. Los créditos fiscales para las primas se pueden reclamar por adelantado (durante el año) o al final del año cuando presente sus impuestos. Para reclamar el crédito, deberá presentar una declaración de impuestos federales sobre la renta y el Formulario 8962. Siga las instrucciones del Formulario 8962 para determinar la cantidad de crédito fiscal que debe recibir como reembolso de impuestos cuando presente sus impuestos.