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The ACA MarketplaceS

Change in February effectuated enrollment, by state, 2025-2026

How Has ACA Marketplace Enrollment Changed Across States in 2026?

ACA Marketplace enrollment fell this year in every state except New Mexico, which was the only state to fully replace the enhanced premium tax credits that expired last year with a state-funded subsidy, according to a new KFF analysis of effectuated enrollment data. The Marketplace enrollment decline—the first in seven years—follows several years of rapid enrollment growth and coincides with the end of the enhanced federal subsidies.

How Much and Why ACA Marketplace Premiums Are Going Up in 2027

ACA Marketplaces insurers are proposing a median premium increase of 15% in 2027, according to KFF’s updated analysis of 276 insurers with publicly available filings across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. This is the second consecutive year of double-digit premium hikes. Last year’s median nationwide proposed rate change was 18%, and the median finalized rate change was 20%. While this proposed rate change is lower than last year, it represents the second-highest requested rate change since 2018, as premium growth had been relatively flat in this market for several years.

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?

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  • Can immigrants who are not U.S. citizens buy health insurance through the health insurance Marketplaces?

    FAQs

    Most lawfully present immigrants, including people with work (H1) and student visas, can buy health insurance through the health insurance Marketplaces. This group also currently includes lawfully present immigrants with incomes under 100% of the federal poverty level who cannot enroll in Medicaid based on immigration status, for example, because they are in the five-year waiting period for Medicaid or CHIP coverage. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is no longer considered an eligible immigration…

  • I have been trying to get pregnant. Do Marketplace plans cover infertility services?

    FAQs

    The ACA does not require health plans to cover infertility services; however, some states require certain plans to cover certain infertility services. If you need these services and are shopping for coverage, check the plan details or your state insurance department about coverage and out-of-pocket costs for infertility care.

  • What services do plans have to cover for pregnancy?

    FAQs

    Federal laws require many employer-sponsored plans and all ACA-compliant individual insurance plans, including those available through the Marketplaces, to cover maternity services, including pregnancy, childbirth, and newborn care. Cost sharing may apply to some maternity services. Most private plans also must cover prenatal visits and screenings, folic acid supplements, tobacco cessation counseling and interventions, and breastfeeding services such as pumps and lactation consultations without any cost-sharing because they are considered preventive services. All state Medicaid…

  • Can I be covered under my parent’s health plan if I’m married?

    FAQs

    Yes. You can stay on your parents’ plan until you turn 26 if they have coverage through work, or until the end of the year you turn 26 if they have Marketplace coverage. Being married does not affect your eligibility to be covered under your parents' plan.

  • Does my student health plan have to cover birth control, and if not, what are my options?

    FAQs

    It depends on the type of coverage your college or university provides. “Fully-insured” plans are required to provide, without cost sharing, access to all FDA-approved birth control (“contraceptive”) methods, sterilization procedures, and patient education and counseling prescribed by a health care provider. If your student health plan is “self-insured,” coverage of birth control services depends on which state you live in. Check with your college or university to find out what type of student health…

  • I’m a young adult and I need health insurance. What are my coverage options?

    FAQs

    A number of options may be available to you: If your annual income is $21,597 or less in 2026 (138% federal poverty level for a single adult), you may qualify for Medicaid coverage. Not all states have elected to expand Medicaid eligibility to this income level. Check with a navigator or another type of assister using Find Local Help, or check with your state Marketplace to learn more about Medicaid eligibility in your state.  If…

  • I’m under 26 and eligible to be covered as a dependent under my mom’s job-based policy. Mom no longer claims me as a tax dependent – I file my own taxes, though my income isn’t very high. If subsidized...

    FAQs

    Yes. Although the general rule is that people are not eligible for Marketplace subsidies when they are also eligible for affordable job-based health coverage, a young adult is eligible for premium tax credits in the Marketplace as long as they are not claimed as a tax dependent by their parents. The availability of dependent coverage under your parents' health plan does not affect your eligibility for premium tax credits in the Marketplace.

  • Mi empleador ofrece beneficios de salud pero no contribuye mucho para la prima. No puedo pagar mi parte. ¿Puedo solicitar cobertura y subsidios en el mercado?

    FAQs

    Siempre puede comprar cobertura de salud en el mercado. Sin embargo, si le ofrecen beneficios de salud del empleador, no puede calificar para subsidios en el mercado a menos que su cobertura a través del empleador se considere inasequible. Si su parte de la prima para la cobertura en el plan de su empleador es del 9.96% o más de su ingreso familiar de 2026, se considera inasequible y puede solicitar créditos fiscales para las…

  • ¿Los planes del mercado de seguros o Medicaid cubren abortos?

    FAQs

    Depende de en dónde viva y el tipo de cobertura que tenga. En el caso de los planes del mercado de seguros, no existe ningún requisito federal que obligue a los planes a cubrir el aborto. Aproximadamente la mitad de los estados prohíben que estos planes lo cubran. Sin embargo, otros estados exigen que los planes cubran los servicios de aborto y no permiten compartir los costos. Para los beneficiarios de Medicaid, la ley federal…