Overview
- Congress adjourned for the holidays without passing an extension, allowing the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits to lapse at year’s end.
- Roughly 22 million marketplace enrollees have benefited from the subsidies, and many are projected to see premiums double or even triple in 2026.
- The House is expected to consider a three-year extension the week of Jan. 5 after four Republicans joined a discharge effort, though Senate approval remains uncertain.
- The Congressional Budget Office estimates the expiration could increase the number of uninsured by about 4 million as open enrollment heads toward a Jan. 15 deadline.
- Analyses point to especially steep premium hikes in several Republican-leaning states such as Wyoming and West Virginia, with farmers and other self-employed workers on individual plans particularly vulnerable.