Private Insurance

Health Care Affordability

BTD Health Policy in 2026

Health Policy in 2026

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

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  • Federal Government Could See Net Increase of $2.3 Billion in Costs in 2018 if ACA Cost-Sharing Reduction Payments Eliminated

    News Release

    Ceasing payments for the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) cost-sharing reduction program could save $10 billion, but cost an additional $12.3 billion in premium tax credits – an estimated net increase of $2.3 billion, or 23 percent, in federal spending on marketplace subsidies – in 2018, if insurers continue to participate in ACA marketplaces, according to a new analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation. The cost-sharing subsidies, established to reduce out-of-pocket costs for ACA marketplace enrollees…

  • Poll: Majority Opposes Hard-Ball Negotiating Tactics to Replace the Affordable Care Act, But Republicans Support It

    News Release

    Somewhat More Want President Trump and Republicans to Continue Working on ACA Repeal and Replace than Want Them to Move onto Other Priorities With President Trump and Congress continuing to discuss repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, a majority of the public opposes using hard-ball tactics as a way to force Democrats in Congress to negotiate a replacement, the latest Kaiser Health Tracking Poll finds. President Trump recently suggested that his administration and Congress…

  • Analysis of 2016 Premium Changes and Insurer Participation in the Affordable Care Act’s Health Insurance Marketplaces

    Issue Brief

    This analysis provides an early look at premium changes for individuals in the health insurance marketplaces, created under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), in major cities in 10 states plus DC. Premium changes for the benchmark silver plans vary significantly across the sample cities. The benchmark rates will increase 4.4 percent on average in 2016 without accounting for tax credits, a relatively modest amount but greater than the average increase for 2015.

  • 2015 Survey of Health Insurance Marketplace Assister Programs and Brokers

    Report

    This nationwide survey analysis of Marketplace consumer assistance programs and brokers examines the nature of Marketplace assistance during the second open enrollment period for 2015 coverage, and offers unique insights into how Affordable Care Act (ACA) implementation is progressing, what is changing, and what challenges remain. Building upon our Survey of Health Insurance Marketplace Assister Programs (2014), the analysis compares Assister Program capacity and experiences from the first open enrollment period to the next, and…

  • What Are the Recent Trends in Employer-Based Health Coverage?

    Issue Brief

    Employer-sponsored health insurance is the largest source of health coverage for people under 65, covering 165.6 million people in March 2025. This analysis examines who among people under 65 have employer coverage and which workers are offered and eligible for coverage at their jobs, using the Annual Economic and Social (March) Supplements of the Current Population Survey.

  • Health Care Costs as Much as a New Car

    From Drew Altman

    Health care for a family covered by a large employer cost, on average, $22,885 last year. That’s $2,000 more than the sticker price for a brand-new Volkswagen Beetle. Drew Altman discusses why it matters in this Axios column.