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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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  • Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: December 2013

    Feature

    The December Kaiser Health Tracking Poll finds a 13 percentage point rebound in Democratic support for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), but no overall change in support or opposition since November. In spite of all the attention and controversy surrounding the law and its implementation, the poll finds that nearly half of the public say it won't make much difference to them or their families.

  • Rewarding Healthy Behaviors: Variation in Health Risk Across Industries Among American Workers

    Issue Brief

    Faced with an unsustainable growth in health care costs, both employers and policymakers have begun to consider the potential savings that might be achieved by investments in health promotion and better access to preventive care. There has also been public discussion about the potential of building financial incentives for healthy behaviors and the use of prevention services into health plans. Creating the right incentives is a challenge however, because experience is so limited and healthy…

  • Health Care Reform Newsmaker Series: Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa)

    Event Date:
    Event

    Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), ranking Republican member of the Senate Committee on Finance, appeared as a guest in the new series of Health Care Reform newsmaker briefings sponsored by the Kaiser Family Foundation, Families USA and the National Federation of Independent Business. The reporters-only briefings, designed to inform the public about prospects and options for health reform, feature a short presentation by an influential leader followed by an extended question-and-answer session.  Transcript (.pdf) Video

  • National Health Insurance — A Brief History Of Reform Efforts In The U.S.

    Issue Brief

    This policy brief provides an overview of health reform efforts in the United States over much of the last century, from New Deal-era calls for government-subsidized health coverage to the creation of Medicare and Medicaid in the 1960s and the failed attempt at universal coverage in the early 1990s. Issue Brief (.pdf)

  • Health Care Reform Newsmaker Series: Nancy-Ann DeParle, Director of the White House Office of Health Reform

    Event Date:
    Event

    Nancy-Ann DeParle, director of the White House Office of Health Reform, appeared as the third guest in a series of Health Care Reform newsmaker briefings sponsored by the Kaiser Family Foundation, Families USA and the National Federation of Independent Business. The reporters-only briefings, designed to inform the public about prospects and options for health reform, feature a short presentation by an influential leader followed by an extended question-and-answer session.  Transcript (.pdf) Video

  • Connecting Eligible Immigrant Families to Health Coverage and Care: Key Lessons from Outreach and Enrollment Workers

    Issue Brief

    Beginning in 2014, health coverage options will significantly expand under health reform through an expansion in Medicaid eligibility and by making tax credits available to help individuals purchase coverage through new Health Benefit Exchanges. Given their high uninsured rate and limited access to private and public coverage, one group who could significantly benefit from this coverage expansion is lawfully residing immigrant families. However, it will be important to address barriers eligible immigrant families often face…

  • How Many Employers Could Be Affected by the High-Cost Plan Tax

    Issue Brief

    The high cost plan tax (HCPT) sometimes referred to as the Cadillac tax, is an excise tax on the cost of employer health benefit exceeding certain threshold. The HCPT provides a powerful incentive to control health plans costs over time, whether through efficiency gains or shifts in costs to workers. While many employers do not expect that the tax will take effect in 2022, others are already amending their health programs in anticipation. We estimate…

  • Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: Election 2008: October 2008

    Poll Finding

    The final Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: Election 2008 finds more people are reporting problems with health care bills, and paying for health care retains a solid hold on the public’s list of their top economic concerns. About one in three Americans now report their family has had problems paying medical bills in the past year, up from about a quarter saying the same two years ago.  Almost one in five (18%) of Americans report household…

  • What’s in There? The New Health Reform Law and Private Insurance

    Event Date:
    Event

    This briefing focuses on how the reform law affects access to private coverage, including the new federal high-risk pools, tax credits for small businesses, health insurance exchanges, the individual mandate and employer obligations. This briefing, cosponsored by the Alliance for Health Reform and the Kaiser Family Foundation, explored these and other issues. For more information, please visit Alliance's event page. Full Video    Speakers for this session: The panel is co-moderated by Diane Rowland of…