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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 Marketplace Profiles: Washington

    Other Post

    Final update made on November 22, 2013 (no further updates will be made) Establishing the Marketplace On May 11, 2011, Governor Christine Gregoire (D) signed SB 5445 into law establishing the Washington Health Benefit Exchange (HBE).1  Additional legislation signed by the Governor in March 2012, removed limitations on the Board’s governing authority over the Marketplace (HB 2319).2  In October 2012, the state announced that the online Marketplace would be called Washington Healthplanfinder. Structure: The legislation defines Washington’s Marketplace…

  • State Exchange Profiles: North Dakota

    Other Post

    Final update made on December 11, 2012 (no further updates will be made) Establishing the Exchange In November 2012, Governor Jack Dalrymple (R) announced that North Dakota was not planning a state exchange.1 In the previous year, North Dakota had explored the possibility of a state-based exchange, spurred in part by enacted legislation stating North Dakota’s intent to create a health insurance exchange.2 The Insurance Department collected stakeholder feedback and identified a vendor to analyze the state’s…

  • State Exchange Profiles: Texas

    Other Post

    Final update made on December 11, 2012 (no further updates will be made) Establishing the Exchange On July 9, 2012, Governor Rick Perry (R) announced that Texas would not establish an exchange.1 Prior to this announcement, the Department of Insurance and the Health and Human Services Commission had partnered to explore exchange implementation plans.2 Using federal grant funding they identified subcontractors to assist with the exchange planning process, to collect stakeholder feedback, and to investigate the state’s…

  • State Marketplace Profiles: Connecticut

    Other Post

    Final update made on September 27, 2013 (no further updates will be made)  Establishing the Marketplace On July 1, 2011, Governor Dan Malloy (D) signed SB921 (Public Act 11-53) into law establishing the Connecticut Health Insurance Exchange.1   Legislation altering the composition of the Exchange Board passed in June 2012.2 3  In December 2012, the Exchange announced that its new name would be “Access Health CT.” Structure: The legislation defines Connecticut’s Health Insurance Exchange as a quasi-governmental organization, specifically "a…

  • State Marketplace Profiles: Idaho

    Other Post

    Final update made on October 3, 2013 (no further updates will be made) Establishing the Marketplace On December 11, 2012, Governor C.L. Otter (R) announced Idaho’s commitment to the establishment of a State-based health insurance Marketplace and on March 28, 2013 signed into law legislation (HB248) creating the Idaho Health Insurance Exchange.1 2  In August 2013, the state announced that the online marketplace would be called Your Health Idaho.3  While the Governor had previously signed an Executive…

  • 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…

  • California's "Bridge to Reform" Medicaid Demonstration Waiver

    Fact Sheet

    This issue brief provides an overview of California's "Bridge to Reform" Medicaid Demonstration Waiver, which was approved in 2010 and will make up to roughly $8 billion in federal Medicaid matching funds available to California over a five-year period to expand coverage to low-income uninsured adults and preserve and improve the county-based safety-net. The waiver also allows the state to enroll Medicaid-eligible seniors and persons with disabilities into managed care plans that meet specified readiness…