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BTD Health Policy in 2026

Health Policy in 2026

In a new column, President and CEO Dr. Drew Altman forecasts eight things to look for in health policy in 2026. “First and foremost,” he writes, “is the role health care affordability will play in the midterms.” And, he notes: “The average cost of a family policy for employers could approach $30,000 and cost sharing and deductibles will rise again after plateauing for several years.”

View all of Drew’s Beyond the Data Columns

New and Noteworthy

How Much and Why ACA Marketplace Premiums Are Going Up in 2026

A new analysis of initial rate filings for Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace plans submitted by 312 insurers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia finds the median proposed increase for 2026 is 18%, more than double last year’s 7% median proposed increase. The proposed rates are preliminary and could change before being finalized in late summer. In addition to rising cost and utilization of services, insurers cited the expiration of enhanced premium tax credits as a significant factor in their rate hikes for next year.

Explaining Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements (ICHRAs)

Examining Short-Term Limited-Duration Health Plans

Health Savings Account Provisions in the 2025 Tax and Spending Law

Consumer Experiences with Health Insurance

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  • Explaining Health Care Reform: Medical Loss Ratio (MLR)

    Fact Sheet

    This fact sheet explains the Medical Loss Ratio requirement under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The MLR provision limits the portion of premium dollars health insurers may spend on administration, marketing, and profits. Under health care reform, health insurers must publicly report the portion of premium dollars spent on health care and quality improvement and other activities in each state they operate. Insurers failing to meet the applicable standard must pay rebates to consumers and businesses.

  • Diminishing Offer and Coverage Rates Among Private Sector Employees

    Issue Brief

    This brief examines long-term trends in health insurance offer and enrollment rates in private sector establishments, broken out by size of firm. It finds the percentage of workers in private-sector businesses who work in firms that offer health benefits and who are eligible for those benefits has been falling for many years, as has the percentage of workers covered by health insurance in their own firm. These declines have been particularly large for workers in firms with fewer than 50 employees.

  • State-by-State Estimates of the Number of People Eligible for Premium Tax Credits Under the Affordable Care Act

    Issue Brief

    Key provisions of the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) create new Marketplaces for people who purchase insurance directly and provide new premium tax credits to help people with low or moderate incomes afford that coverage. This analysis estimates that about 17 million people who are now uninsured or who buy insurance on their own (“nongroup purchasers”) will be eligible for premium tax credits in 2014. This issue brief provides national and state estimates for tax credit eligibility for people in these groups.

  • Health Insurance Market Reforms: Rate Review

    Fact Sheet

    Rate review is the process by which insurance regulators review health plans’ new or renewed rates for insurance policies in order to ensure that the rates charged are based on accurate, verifiable data and realistic projections of health costs.

  • Health Insurance Market Reforms: Guaranteed Issue

    Fact Sheet

    Guaranteed issue laws require insurance companies to issue a health plan to any applicant - an individual or a group - regardless of the applicant's health status or other factors. Currently, in most states, insurance companies can deny nongroup coverage to people based on their health status or their medical expenses over the past year.

  • How 13 Million Americans Could Lose Insurance Subsidies

    From Drew Altman

    This was published as a Wall Street Journal Think Tank column on November 19, 2014. Kaiser Family Foundation calculations of how many Americans could lose subsidies in 2016 depending on the Supreme Court’s ruling in King v. Burwell. The Supreme Court is expected to rule next year on King v.