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

https://js.hsforms.net/forms/embed/292449.js

View the Latest: Affordable Care Act

Filter

List Grid

411 - 420 of 2,780 Results

  • A Reporter’s Guide to Supreme Court Arguments on Health Reform

    Event Date:
    Event

    The Alliance for Health Reform and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation sponsored this reporters-only briefing to help journalists cover the Supreme Court arguments challenging the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and their aftermath with greater depth and understanding. Panelists focus on tips, story ideas and angles that have perhaps been underreported or overlooked, as well as angles for after the court ruling comes down, expected in June. The panel was co-moderated by Ed Howard…

  • The Budget: What Would You Cut?

    Perspective

    As President Obama and Congress begin to hash out the 2012 budget, it is a good time to revisit results from our January 2011 survey showing that in spite of the fact that most Americans report being very concerned about the budget deficit, there is little public support for major reductions across a number of program areas. Majorities said they would not support any reductions in Social Security (64 percent), public education (63 percent), or…

  • What Issues Are Most Important To Voters in This Election? The Answer Depends On The Question

    Perspective

    Election polling has entered hyperdrive, with several polls released daily. As Nov. 6 draws near, it is important to keep in mind that question wording and format do matter, sometimes quite a lot. In our October Kaiser Health Tracking Poll, we measured voters’ top issue priorities two ways: First, we asked one group to name the most important issue to their vote for president in an open-end question, allowing respondents to say in their own…

  • Betting on Private Insurers

    Perspective

    Just-released estimates of national health spending in 2010 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) show that 45% of our health care spending is financed by the federal and state governments, primarily through the Medicare and Medicaid programs. This share has grown temporarily in recent years because of the economic downturn, as private insurance has declined and Medicaid has grown. It has also increased due to our demographic destiny: the growing cohort of baby…

  • The Inequity Of The Medicaid Coverage Gap and Why It Is Hard To Fix It

    Perspective

    In this column for the JAMA Health Forum, Larry Levitt explores why the Medicaid "coverage gap" still exists in 12 states that have not expanded their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act, why it matters, and why eliminating it could prove challenging.

  • ¿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…

  • My husband would like to get a vasectomy, but when I checked with our insurer, they told me that the plan would cover my sterilization without cost-sharing, but we would have to pay part of the costs fo...

    FAQs

    The ACA requires most private health plans to cover birth control, including sterilization, for women, but they are not required to cover sterilization (vasectomies) for men. However, nine states (CA, IL, MD, NJ, NM, NY, OR, VT, and WA) require certain health plans in those states to cover vasectomies, at no cost to the patient. Check with your insurance plan or state insurance department for more information.

  • My eligibility notice on HealthCare.gov says I am eligible to buy a Marketplace plan, but the Marketplace cannot verify my immigration status. What should I do?

    FAQs

    HealthCare.gov will try to verify your citizenship or immigration status in real time as you submit your application. If it can’t, you may see a notice online that says you are temporarily eligible to buy a Marketplace plan, but you must submit additional information by a deadline. If this happens, first check your application to be sure you correctly entered all requested identifying information, including your name, date of birth, social security number, or alien…