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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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  • Health Care and the 2016 Debates

    News Release

    In his latest column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman discusses the lack of attention to health in the primary debates and last week’s Democratic forum in South Carolina. All previous columns by Drew Altman are available online.

  • In 73 Percent of Counties, Healthcare.Gov Enrollees Could Lower Their Silver Plan Premiums by Comparison Shopping

    News Release

    A new analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation finds that in 73 percent of counties served by Healthcare.gov, people enrolled in the lowest-cost silver plan this year could save money on premiums by switching to a different silver plan in 2016. In these counties, the silver plan with the lowest premiums in 2015 is no longer the lowest-cost plan in 2016, according to the analysis. If they stay in their current plan, Healthcare.gov enrollees who…

  • Proposed Changes to Medicaid Expansion in Kentucky

    Fact Sheet

    On June 22, 2016, Governor Bevin released his proposed Section 1115 demonstration waiver application called Kentucky HEALTH (Helping to Engage and Achieve Long Term Health) as an alternative to the current Medicaid expansion which is being implemented through a state plan amendment according to the terms in the ACA. On July 3, 2017, Kentucky submitted an amendment, proposing several changes, to its pending waiver application to the new Administration. This fact sheet summarizes the proposed…

  • Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: July 2016

    Feature

    In advance of the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, the July Kaiser Health Tracking Poll examines the role that health care may play in the 2016 presidential election: how important health care is to voters, what health care issues voters would most like to hear the candidates discuss, and which party and candidates voters feel most closely aligned with on health care issues.

  • On Health Care Issues, Voters Give Hillary Clinton a Substantial Edge Over Donald Trump  

    News Release

    Most Americans Worry about Large Number of Zika Cases in U.S. Over Next Year While the public tilts narrowly toward unfavorable views of the Affordable Care Act, presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton holds a clear advantage on health care issues over presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump as the 2016 national political conventions approach, and voters generally, including independents, favor Democrats on health issues, the latest Kaiser Health Tracking Poll finds. When asked which of the…

  • JAMA Forum: The Partisan Divide on Health Care

    Perspective

    In this post for JAMA, the Kaiser Family Foundation's Larry Levitt outlines the health care platforms of the Republican and Democratic parties, noting their fundamentally different aims and differing ideas about, among other things, the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) and Medicare.