Overview
- Insurers have filed 2026 marketplace rate increases averaging about 26%, with premiums up roughly 30% in HealthCare.gov states versus about 17% on state-run exchanges, according to KFF.
- If the enhanced credits expire at year’s end, KFF projects average out-of-pocket premiums would rise about 114%, with steep state estimates including roughly 97% for 1.7 million Californians and about 101% on average in Rhode Island.
- Roughly 24 million people are enrolled in ACA plans and about 22 million receive premium tax credits that are tied up in the budget standoff driving the ongoing federal shutdown.
- CMS says about 60% of enrollees could still find a 2026 plan costing $50 a month or less with original ACA subsidies, down from 83% who had such options for 2025.
- State exchanges are executing contingency plans—repricing products, recalculating credits and notifying consumers—with officials in Maryland and California saying system changes could take about one to three weeks once Congress acts.