Home Affordable Care Act Topics

Affordable Care Act

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?

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.

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

2,421 - 2,430 of 2,782 Results

  • How Obamacare Is Doing Better But Feeling Worse  

    News Release

    In his latest column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman explains why even as there are recent positive indicators of the Affordable Care Act’s performance and impact, public opinion about the law has not changed since passage of the law. All previous columns by Drew Altman are available online.

  • How Does Where You Work Affect Your Contraceptive Coverage?

    Interactive

    The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires most private health insurance plans to provide coverage for a broad range of preventive services including FDA approved prescription contraceptives and services for women. Legal challenges and recently issued rules have affected contraceptive coverage for many women.

  • Premiums Set to Decline Slightly for Benchmark ACA Marketplace Insurance Plans in 2015

    News Release

    Analysis of 15 States and D.C. Also Finds Changes Vary Across States and Insurers Results Suggest Consumers Should Shop Carefully When Open Enrollment Begins November 15 MENLO PARK, Calif. -- An early look at the cost of health insurance in 16 major cities finds that average premiums for the benchmark silver plan – the one upon which federal financial help under the Affordable Care Act to consumers is based – will decrease slightly in 2015. …

  • Republicans Have an Edge in Voter Enthusiasm Heading Into Fall, But Few Cite ACA as Motivating Factor

    News Release

    Anti-Obamacare Ads Reaching Most Voters in Competitive Senate Races Health Care Ranks Among Several Second-Tier Issues for Voters in Midterm Elections Behind the Economy The latest Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Poll finds Republicans with a modest edge in terms of voter enthusiasm, but the Affordable Care Act, also called Obamacare, is not the main motivator. The poll finds that 27 percent of Republicans say they are “more enthusiastic” about voting this year than in…

  • Abortion Coverage in Marketplace Plans, 2015

    Issue Brief

    This brief analyzes state policies and insurer coverage decisions affecting the availability of abortion coverage in 2015 insurance plans offered through the Marketplaces. It finds that abortion coverage is unavailable in a total of 31 states, 24 of which have enacted laws that ban or restrict abortion coverage in plans sold through their Marketplaces and 7 of which have no abortion coverage restrictions but also have no Marketplace plans offering it.

  • Adults who Remained Uninsured at the End of 2014

    Issue Brief

    This report, based on the 2014 Kaiser Survey of Low-Income Americans and the ACA, profiles the adult population that remained uninsured as of Fall 2014. It describes the characteristics of this population, examines why they lack insurance coverage and reasons for not enrolling in ACA coverage, and provides information on the coverage options available to the remaining uninsured and their plans for obtaining coverage in 2015.

  • Analysis of 2016 Premium Changes in the Affordable Care Act’s Health Insurance Marketplaces

    Fact Sheet

    The chart and tables below present an updated analysis of changes in premiums for the lowest- and second-lowest cost silver Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace plans in major cities in 48 states and the District of Columbia, where we were able to find complete data on rates for all insurers. This page will be updated as complete rate information becomes available for more states. More background can be found in our earlier analysis of 2016…

  • How Primary-Care Physicians Are Handling the Influx of Newly Insured

    From Drew Altman

    In this column for The Wall Street Journal's Think Tank, Kaiser’s President Drew Altman is joined by The Commonwealth Fund's President David Blumenthal to discuss the impact of the Affordable Care Act’s coverage expansion on the primary care delivery system.