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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 Family Foundation/NBC News Survey Questions

    Poll Finding

    The Kaiser Family Foundation partnered with NBC News to ask several survey questions of the U.S. public about their feelings towards the 2010 health care law, as well as their worries about affording health care more generally. These questions were asked as part of the September 2013 Kaiser Health Tracking Poll. Kaiser Family Foundation/NBC News Survey Topline Download

  • Drew Altman: Amid Tensions, Legal Immigrants Fear Signing Up for Obamacare

    News Release

    In his latest column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman discusses new Kaiser Family Foundation survey findings about how fear of enforcement of immigration laws may be affecting Latino enrollment in the Affordable Care Act. All previous columns by Drew Altman are available online. 

  • The Politics of Obamacare: How the Affordable Care Act is Playing in the Midterm Elections

    Event Date:
    Event

    In 2010, many political analysts and journalists cited the debate over, and enactment of, the Affordable Care Act (often called "Obamacare") as one factor that helped spark the conservative Tea Party movement and the Republican takeover of the House in that year's Midterm Elections. Four years later, the law's major coverage provisions have taken effect, resulting in new health coverage for millions of Americans, but public opinion on the law remains deeply divided along partisan…

  • The Twin Goals of Health Insurance

    From Drew Altman

    Drew Altman, in The Wall Street Journal's Think Tank, examines a study finding Massachusetts' health reform saved lives in the context of health insurance's twin goal: better access to improve health and economic security.

  • How Much Political Coverage of the Health-Care Law Is Too Much?

    From Drew Altman

    This was published as a Wall Street Journal Think Tank column on June 5, 2014. With primaries underway and the midterms approaching, coverage of the Affordable Care Act will increasingly focus on politics. Many political reporters may take temporary control of the health-care beat during the leadup to November. News organizations should consider: How much Affordable Care Act political coverage is too much? Already, the public says that coverage of the ACA is mostly about politics rather…