ACA Premium Payments Would More than Double on Average Next Year if Enhanced Premium Tax Credits Expire
Out-of-pocket premium payments would rise by 114%, from an average of $888 in 2025 to $1,904 in 2026
If Congress allows the enhanced premium tax credits to expire at the end of this year, ACA Marketplace enrollees on average would see their out-of-pocket premium payments more than double next year, growing by 114%, from an average of $888 in 2025 to $1,904 in 2026, according to a KFF analysis released today. This increase is higher than previously estimated due to changes in the Trump administration’s tax credit calculations and what could be insurers’ largest rate increase since 2018 (a median increase of 18%), driven in part by expectations that healthier people will drop out of the market.
The average premium payment among ACA enrollees with the enhanced credits held steady at $888 annually in 2024 and 2025. Without the enhanced credits, many eligible Marketplace enrollees will receive less assistance with their premiums next year and others will experience a "double whammy," losing their entire tax credit and facing the full cost of rising premiums.
