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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

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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  • Why Drug Price Negotiation Has Staying Power

    From Drew Altman

    In this Axios column, Drew Altman looks beyond Medicare to what’s at stake for employers and workers in the debate about the government negotiating drug prices.

  • How Marketplace Costs and Premiums will Change if Rescue Plan Subsidies Expire

    Policy Watch

    In this Policy Watch we explore the potential impact of the expiration of the American Rescue Plan Act’s enhanced financial help and new eligibility for the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance Marketplace federal subsidies. While the COVID-19 relief legislation passed earlier this year provides greater subsidy assistance through 2022, Democrats in Congress are currently considering making the temporary federal help permanent or extending it as part of their planned budget reconciliation legislation.

  • Large Majorities Across Parties Favor Allowing the Federal Government to Negotiate Drug Prices, Even After Hearing Common Arguments About It

    News Release

    Most of the Public Lacks Confidence that President Biden, Congressional Democrats or Republicans Will Do the Right Thing on Drug Prices Allowing the federal government to negotiate with drug companies to lower drug prices for Medicare beneficiaries and people enrolled in private plans – a key cost-saving proposal in the Democrats’ massive reconciliation bill – is favored by large majorities across political partisans, even after they hear arguments from both sides, a new KFF Health…

  • Escuché que hay una nueva oportunidad de inscripción especial para las personas de muy bajos ingresos. ¿Cómo funciona?

    FAQs

    Desde el 25 de agosto de 2025, se eliminó la oportunidad de inscripción especial que permitía a las personas con ingresos iguales o inferiores al 150% del nivel federal de pobreza inscribirse en la cobertura del mercado de seguros durante todo el año, simplemente por sus bajos ingresos. Las personas con este nivel de ingresos aún podrían calificar para la inscripción especial en otros eventos de inscripción especial, como cuando pierden la cobertura por pérdida…

  • Perdí mi empleo y mi seguro de salud. ¿Puedo comprar un plan en el mercado ahora, o debo esperar a la próxima inscripción abierta?

    FAQs

    Puede aplicar ahora. CuidadoDeSalud.gov y todos los mercados estatales permiten una oportunidad de inscripción especial cuando las personas pierden otra cobertura. Esto incluye la pérdida de la cobertura basada en el trabajo y la pérdida de Medicaid. En general, tiene 60 días después de la pérdida de otra cobertura para solicitar una oportunidad de inscripción especial a través del mercado. En CuidadoDeSalud.gov y en algunos otros estados, si recibe un aviso por adelantado de la…

  • ¿Qué pasa si quiero dejar mi plan de salud del mercado durante el año?

    FAQs

    Es importante que se comunique con su mercado y con el plan de salud y les informe que ya no necesita cobertura. El enlace que se proporciona aquí ofrece detalles sobre cómo cancelar la cobertura del mercado en los estados que utilizan CuidadoDeSalud.gov. Los mercados de seguros estatales pueden tener su propio proceso para cancelar la cobertura. Si reside en uno de estos mercados, haga clic aquí para acceder al enlace que lo llevará al…

  • More Than 6 in 10 of the Remaining 27.4 Million Uninsured People in the U.S. are Eligible for Subsidized ACA Marketplace Coverage, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program

    News Release

    Recent policy attention has focused on efforts to reduce the number of uninsured people in the U.S. by expanding eligibility for coverage assistance, including enhanced premium subsidies in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace and filling the Medicaid “coverage gap.” A new KFF analysis shows that a majority of the 27.4 million people who remained uninsured in 2020 already are eligible for financial assistance for coverage through Medicaid/CHIP or the Marketplace, suggesting that policies in…

  • County-Level Analysis Finds ACA Premiums are Falling in Many Areas of the Country, Though Changes Vary by County and Type of Plan

    News Release

    Premiums for the Affordable Care Act Marketplace benchmark silver plan are decreasing 3.1 percent on average across the country – the fourth year in a row that benchmark premiums have fallen – though the changes vary by county, a new KFF county-by-county analysis finds. The benchmark plan premiums are important because they are used to determine the tax credits available to people who buy their own insurance through the Marketplaces. What people would have to…

  • This graphic explains the main features of new surprise billing protections.

    No Surprises Act Implementation: What to Expect in 2022

    Issue Brief

    The “No Surprises Act,” which establishes new federal protections against most surprise out-of-network medical bills when a patient receives out-of-network services during an emergency visit or from a provider at an in-network hospital without advance notice, will take effect next month. A new KFF brief outlines what to expect in 2022.