Affordable Care Act

About the ACA

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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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  • Listening to Trump Voters with ACA Coverage: What They Want in a Health Care Plan

    Issue Brief

    President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress are moving to follow through on their campaign promise to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). To gain a better understanding of the personal experiences of Trump voters with health coverage provided through the ACA and the changes they hope to see in the health system moving forward, the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) held focus groups in December 2016 with Trump voters in cities in three…

  • Polling Data Note: Beyond the ACA, the Affordability of Insurance Has Been Deteriorating Since 2015

    News Release

    The debate about the future of the Affordable Care Act and its individual insurance marketplaces may be taking the focus off the affordability challenges facing the broader population, most of whom get their health coverage through employers, Medicare or Medicaid. New survey findings from the Kaiser Family Foundation show that health care has become somewhat less affordable even among those with health insurance. Since 2015, larger shares of people with health insurance say they have…

  • Views of Governors and Insurance Commissioners on ACA Repeal and Changes to Medicaid: Responses to a Congressional Request for State Input on Health Reform

    Issue Brief

    This brief summarizes responses from governors and insurance commissioners in 35 states, including DC, to a request from members in the House of Representatives for state input on health care reforms. These responses provide insight into state leaders’ views on repeal and replacement of the ACA and the changes Congress is considering making to the financing and structure of Medicaid. It finds that respondents have mixed views on the ACA and potential repeal and replacement…

  • The American Health Care Act: New House GOP Bill Summary and Interactive Maps of Its Effects on Tax Credits

    News Release

    The Kaiser Family Foundation today issued a summary of the Republican House leadership’s March 6 proposed Affordable Care Act (ACA) replacement bill, the American Health Care Act, that can be compared in 17 key policy areas to the ACA and several other proposed replacement plans. In addition, the Foundation updated its interactive maps that compare county-level estimates of premium tax credits consumers would receive under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2020 with what they’d receive…

  • Web Briefing for Journalists – Potential Changes to Health Care Access and Coverage: What’s at Stake for Women?

    Event Date:
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    House Republicans’ American Health Care Act and other actions under discussion by President Donald Trump’s administration and the new Congress could profoundly affect access to health care for many women. Repeal of the Affordable Care Act, changes to its birth control coverage provision, and new state and federal abortion restrictions, along with potential funding cuts and restrictions for family planning providers, including Planned Parenthood, would significantly impact the availability and cost of women’s health care,…

  • Poll: Early Perceptions of House Bill Show Public Thinks It Would Cover Fewer People and Raise Health Costs

    News Release

    Republicans More Likely to Expect Positive Changes Than Democrats or Independents Large Majority Favors Continued Medicaid Funding to Planned Parenthood Fielded March 6-12 as Americans were first learning about the American Health Care Act and before the Congressional Budget Office estimated its effects, the latest Kaiser Tracking Poll shows that large shares of the public expect the House Republican health care plan would result in fewer people having health insurance and higher costs for people…

  • Restructuring Medicaid in the American Health Care Act: Five Key Considerations

    Issue Brief

    On March 9, the House Ways and Means Committee and Energy and Commerce Committee passed the American Health Care Act, the Republican leadership’s plan to repeal and replace the ACA. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the House bill would reduce federal Medicaid spending by $880 billion over ten years by capping federal Medicaid spending and ending enhanced federal funding for Medicaid expansion adults. By 2026, federal Medicaid spending would be 25% lower than expected…