"Obamacare premiums are poised to jump next year, driven by expiring federal subsidies and the highest proposed rate hikes since 2018, setting up a pocketbook shock for millions of marketplace enrollees, unless Congress intervenes. The core driver is the scheduled sunset of enhanced premium tax credits at year-end, which could lift out-of-pocket bills by roughly 75%, on average, for subsidized customers on top of insurers' underlying rate increases for 2026, according to analyses cited by both The New York Times and Fortune."
"For subsidized enrollees, the loss of enhanced credits would raise the share of premiums paid out of pocket-turning a $100 monthly bill into roughly $175 on average, or a $900 annual increase, before counting any base rate hikes insurers are seeking for 2026, reports based on Peterson-KFF tracking of filings. Nearly 24 million people are enrolled in marketplace coverage today-more than double 2020 levels-a surge widely attributed to enhanced subsidies that expanded eligibility up the income scale and reduced premiums for many lower-income households to near zero, making an"
Enhanced premium tax credits that lowered Affordable Care Act marketplace premiums since 2021 are scheduled to expire at year-end unless lawmakers extend them. The scheduled sunset could expose more than 20 million people to higher bills as open enrollment approaches. A KFF review of 2026 insurer filings shows a median proposed premium increase of about 18% for the individual market, the steepest climb in years, with carriers explicitly adding roughly 4 percentage points to account for expected market churn if subsidies lapse. Political standoffs over costs raise the odds of premium spikes absent a congressional deal.
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