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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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  • ¿Cubren los planes del mercado la atención médica de reasignación de género? ¿Qué cambios han habido en los requisitos de cobertura?

    FAQs

    No necesariamente. La cobertura varía según el estado y el plan. Algunos estados, pero no todos, prohíben que los planes médicos excluyan la cobertura de la atención de afirmación de género. Pero incluso en los estados donde la cobertura es obligatoria, es posible que no todos los servicios de afirmación de género estén cubiertos. Por ejemplo, un plan podría cubrir la terapia hormonal, pero no la depilación láser. En los estados donde no se exige…

  • Veo “planes catastróficos” que parecen incluso más económicos que otros planes del mercado. ¿Qué son? ¿Puedo comprar uno?

    FAQs

    Los planes catastróficos tienen los costos compartidos más altos y las primas más bajas. En 2026, los planes catastróficos tendrán un deducible anual de $10.600 para una persona o $21.200 para una familia. El plan no tiene que cubrir más de tres consultas de atención primaria antes de alcanzar el deducible. Los planes catastróficos solo se pueden vender a ciertas personas. Consulte estas preguntas frecuentes para obtener más información. Tenga en cuenta que si es…

  • ¿Cuánto tiempo pasa desde que me inscribo hasta que la cobertura entra en vigencia?

    FAQs

    En la mayoría de los estados, si se inscribe en un plan privado de salud en cualquier momento entre el 1 de noviembre y el 15 de diciembre, y realiza el primer pago de la prima antes de la fecha límite para su plan, su nueva cobertura de salud comenzará el 1 de enero. Si se inscribe después del 15 de diciembre, su cobertura de 2026 comenzará el 1 de febrero. Averigüe con el mercado…

  • ¿Quién es elegible para recibir subsidios para las primas?

    FAQs

    Los subsidios para las primas están disponibles para ciudadanos estadounidenses y ciertos inmigrantes con residencia legal que adquieran cobertura en el mercado de seguros y cuyos ingresos sean al menos iguales al 100% del Nivel Federal de Pobreza (FPL) ($15.650 para un adulto soltero o $32.150 para una familia de cuatro) en 2026. Actualmente, los subsidios para las primas también están disponibles para inmigrantes con residencia legal con ingresos inferiores a $15.650 (100% del FPL…

  • I am in my early 60s and have signed up for a Marketplace plan so that I have health insurance coverage until I qualify for Medicare at age 65. What happens when I go on Medicare?

    FAQs

    When you turn 65, you should sign up for Medicare and notify your Marketplace plan that you now qualify for Medicare coverage. Your Marketplace coverage will not be cancelled automatically by your plan when you turn 65 and sign up for Medicare, but if you receive premium tax credits to help you pay for your Marketplace plan premium, your eligibility for these tax credits will end when your Medicare Part A coverage starts (people with…

  • My employer offers a plan with very limited benefits. It only covers preventive services and a few doctor visits each year. However, this plan option is free. My employer also offers a more comprehensiv...

    FAQs

    The limited benefit plan you described probably does not meet the standard for “minimum value.” If that were the only plan your employer offered, you could qualify for premium tax credits to help pay for a more comprehensive plan on the Marketplace coverage. The premium tax credits could help you afford coverage that would be more comprehensive. However, if your employer also offers a major medical plan option that meets the test of minimum value,…

  • I’m working on an H-2A visa. Am I eligible for coverage in the Marketplace?

    FAQs

    Yes. Lawfully-present immigrants who are otherwise eligible for coverage – including “nonimmigrants” like H-2A workers and those on student visas – may purchase insurance in the Marketplace. Those who are low-income and otherwise eligible may also receive premium assistance and cost-sharing reductions to lower the cost of coverage in Marketplace plans. However, DACA is no longer considered an eligible immigration status for health coverage through the Marketplaces, and starting in 2027, certain other lawfully present…

  • How will an individual’s citizenship and immigration status be checked?

    FAQs

    Only those individuals in a family who are applying for health insurance are required to provide citizenship and immigration status. Applicants also must provide a Social Security Number if they have one. Citizenship and immigration status for those applying for health insurance will be checked electronically with several systems, including the Social Security Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, and SAVE (Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements). If an individual’s status cannot be checked through an…

  • I just found out that I’m pregnant, and I do not have health insurance. Can I enroll in a plan through the health insurance Marketplace?

    FAQs

    Yes. However, while you are still pregnant, you may only enroll during an Open Enrollment period, which is typically from November through mid-January. Once enrolled, your plan will be required to cover maternity services. You may also qualify for a premium tax credit and/or a cost-sharing reduction, depending on your family income and your eligibility for employer coverage. After the baby is born, you can sign up for health insurance and add the baby to your plan, no…

  • 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…