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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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  • Calculadora del Mercado de Seguros Médicos

    Feature

    Esta calculadora ilustra las primas (el costo mensual de su seguro) y subsidios para las personas que compran seguro médico por su propia cuenta en el mercado de seguros de salud (o de intercambio) creado por la Ley de Cuidado de Salud a Bajo Precio (Affordable Care Act, ACA, en inglés). Con esta calculadora, usted puede introducir diferentes niveles de ingresos, edades, y el tamaño de su familia para obtener un estimado de su elegibilidad…

  • KFF Health Tracking Poll: Public Weighs in on Health Care Debate and Government Shutdown 

    Poll Finding

    This poll finds that public support remains high for extending the enhanced ACA tax credits set to expire at the end of the year. Three quarters of the public favor of extending them, though support among Republicans has dipped since September. Most Democrats want a Congressional budget deal to include an extension of the tax credits.

  • Health Policy 101 Introduction

    Feature

    Health Policy 101 is a comprehensive guide covering fundamental aspects of U.S. health policy and programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, employer-sponsored insurance, the uninsured population, health care costs and affordability, women's health issues, and health care politics. It includes overviews of private health insurance regulation, racial and ethnic disparities, public health, international comparison of health systems, U.S. global health policy, and the federal role in health policy. The chapters can be downloaded…

  • How Will the 2025 Reconciliation Law Affect the Uninsured Rate in Each State?

    Issue Brief

    This analysis apportions the increase in the number of uninsured across the 50 states and DC. CBO estimates that the reconciliation law will increase the number of uninsured by 10M in 2034 and rise to over 14M if enhanced premium tax credits for ACA Marketplace enrollees expire later this year.

  • Estoy cubierta por el plan de mis padres y acabo de tener un bebé. ¿Este plan cubrirá a mi bebé después de que nazca?

    FAQs

    El plan de sus padres, independientemente de la fuente, generalmente no está obligado a cubrir a su hijo como dependiente. Dependiendo de sus ingresos, su hijo podría ser elegible para la cobertura del programa Medicaid/CHIP en su estado. O puede adquirir un plan familiar a través del mercado de seguros y, dependiendo de sus ingresos y de si su empleador ofrece seguro médico, podría ser elegible para subsidios para las primas y para costos compartidos…

  • ¿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…

  • Traté de renovar mi mismo plan para el próximo año, pero la aseguradora dice que olvidé un pago y que no me permitirán continuar con la cobertura hasta que pague la prima que debo. ¿Pueden hacer eso?

    FAQs

    No. Las aseguradoras no pueden exigir a quienes adeudan primas atrasadas que paguen la deuda antes de renovar la cobertura por un año más. Debe tener autorización para renovar, y el pago del 1 de enero no se podrá aplicar a la prima atrasada que adeude. De ahora en adelante, tenga en cuenta que las aseguradoras pueden cancelar su cobertura si no paga las primas. Si recibe subsidios para las primas por anticipado (APTC), las…

  • New Analysis Finds US Individual Insurance Market Grew 46 Percent in First Full Year of Affordable Care Act

    News Release

    A new analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation finds that the nation's individual insurance market grew 46 percent to 15.5 million people in the first year plans could be purchased through the Affordable Care Act's marketplaces, which offer premium assistance to low- and moderate-income people. Four states -- California, Florida, Texas and Georgia -- accounted for almost half of the enrollment growth. In six states, the number of people covered in the individual market increased…