Key Point: “People who get health insurance through the Affordable Care Act could soon see their monthly premiums sharply increase as subsidies expire and insurers propose a major premium hike for 2026. Insurers that offer plans through the ACA are planning an average premium increase of 15% for 2026 — the largest increase in seven years … The domestic policy bill that President Donald Trump signed into law earlier this month, however, did not extend [subsidies] further. … The bill also added more hurdles for people who get their health insurance through the ACA, such as adding new paperwork requirements to renew coverage each year.”

NBC News: Cost of Obamacare expected to soar as subsidies expire and insurers hike premiums

By Berkeley Lovelace Jr.

• People who get health insurance through the Affordable Care Act could soon see their monthly premiums sharply increase as subsidies expire and insurers propose a major premium hike for 2026.

• Insurers that offer plans through the ACA are planning an average premium increase of 15% for 2026 — the largest increase in seven years, according to an analysis published Friday from KFF, a health policy research group.

• ​​The enhanced subsidies came out of the 2021 American Rescue Plan and broadened the number of people eligible, including many in the middle class. The Inflation Reduction Act, passed in 2022, extended the subsidies through 2025.

• The domestic policy bill that President Donald Trump signed into law earlier this month, however, did not extend them further. … The bill also added more hurdles for people who get their health insurance through the ACA, such as adding new paperwork requirements to renew coverage each year.

• Nearly 4 million people were projected to lose their coverage next year if the subsidies weren’t extended, according to a 2024 analysis from the Congressional Budget Office, a nonpartisan agency that provides budget and economic information to Congress.

• With fewer people enrolled, insurers would have to spread the costs among a smaller group of people, pushing premiums higher, said Edwin Park, a research professor at the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy.

• A family of three earning $110,000 a year and enrolled in a silver ACA plan — which usually comes with moderate monthly premiums — could see their monthly cost jump from $779 this year to $1,446 in 2026 when the enhanced subsidies expire, according to KFF. If insurers raise premiums by 15%, the monthly bill could climb even higher, to $1,662.