Home Affordable Care Act Topics

Affordable Care Act

The ACA MarketplaceS

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?

Latest News

More KFF Health News

Stay informed.

Get KFF's latest on the Affordable Care Act

Stay informed.

Get KFF's
latest on the Affordable
Care Act

View the Latest: Affordable Care Act

Filter

List Grid

2,021-2,030 of 2,430 results

  • 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: 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: Missouri

    Other Post

    Final update made on December 13, 2012 (no further updates will be made)  Establishing the Exchange On November 6, 2012, Missouri voters passed a ballot measure blocking Governor Jay Nixon (D) from establishing an exchange via Executive Order.1 Legislation establishing a state-based health insurance exchange failed in both the 2012 and 2011 legislative sessions. While the Governor initially supported running a state-based exchange, he announced the state would default to a federal exchange in 2014. Prior…

  • Pulling it Together: Business and Health Care Costs

    Perspective

    Hidden away on page 218 of our annual Employer Health Benefits Survey is a table that shows what employers think of the main strategies they have to control health care costs.  More specifically, the table shows what the person in the firm responsible for its health benefits thinks, which is whom we survey.  The short answer is, employer confidence in their own ability to control costs is not high. Not more than about a quarter…

  • Long-term Services and Supports: A Rebalancing Act

    Event Date:
    Event

    The ongoing debate over the federal budget and deficit reduction presents a balancing act for policymakers, as many compelling interests compete for scarce dollars. But for 10 million older adults and people with disabilities who need long-term services and supports, there is a "rebalancing act" in progress. The aim is to serve more people at home and in the community, and fewer people in institutions. Are there sufficient home- and community-based programs in all states…

  • Kaiser Health Tracking Poll — October 2011

    Feature

    The October health tracking poll finds a more negative overall public mood about the health reform law, driven largely by changes in support for the law among Democrats. The poll also asked the public’s impressions of the Massachusetts health reform law enacted under then- Gov. Mitt Romney, who is now a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination. Findings from the poll include: After remaining roughly evenly split for most of the last year and a…

  • Uniform Coverage Summaries for Consumers

    Issue Brief

    This brief explains the proposed federal rule that requires private health plans to provide a short, easy-to-read uniform summary of benefits and coverage to all health insurance applicants and enrollees. The rule, which implements a provision in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), is intended to make it simpler for consumers to compare health plans before they enroll and understand their coverage once they are enrolled. Currently, consumers in employer-sponsored plans receive summaries of their benefits,…