Overview
- The enhanced premium tax credits are set to end on December 31, 2025, with no extension enacted as open enrollment proceeds for roughly 24 million Marketplace enrollees.
- KFF estimates subsidized enrollees’ average annual payments would rise about 114%, from $888 in 2025 to $1,904 in 2026, if the enhanced credits lapse.
- A typical worker earning about $28,000 could pay roughly $1,200 more for the same coverage in 2026 under KFF’s analysis.
- Insurer filings propose a median premium increase of about 18% for 2026, reflecting expectations that some healthier people will drop or downgrade coverage.
- A Trump administration rule changing tax-credit calculations would raise required household contributions in 2026, and consumer advocates are urging the Senate to extend the credits while a conservative op-ed argues for letting them expire in favor of market-based reforms.