ACA insurers seek second-highest premiums increase in nearly a decade

What This is

• Insurers selling Affordable Care Act marketplace plans are seeking another year of steep premium increases for 2027.
• A KFF review of 77 insurer rate requests across 16 states and Washington, D.C., found a median proposed premium increase of about 14% for 2027.
• Insurers say higher costs for medical care and prescription drugs are a main reason they are asking for higher rates.
• Insurers also point to the end of enhanced premium tax credits that lowered monthly premiums, which they say pushed many healthier people out of the marketplaces and left a smaller, sicker pool.
• Several stories warn middle-income people who no longer qualify for extra help could be hit hardest by higher premiums and out-of-pocket costs.

Why This Matters

• Double-digit premium jumps can price people out, raising the uninsured rate and widening gaps in access to care.
• When healthier people leave and sicker people stay, premiums can keep rising in a self-reinforcing cycle.
• The end of extra premium help shifts costs to families and can also change federal spending patterns through larger base subsidies for those who still qualify.
• Disagreement over whether subsidy loss or fraud enforcement drove the drop will steer policy fixes, like restoring financial help versus tightening enrollment rules.