ACA plan prices set to climb about 15% again next year
Insurers selling Affordable Care Act plans have proposed a median 15% price increase for 2027, the second double-digit jump in a row. People earning too much for subsidies will feel it most. Open enrollment for most states starts November 1, and Georgia's proposed average is 20.7%.
People who buy health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace face another big price increase next year.
Insurers have proposed a median increase of 15% for 2027 plans, according to KFF, a health policy research group that reviewed filings from 276 insurers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It is the second double-digit rise in a row. Last year's final median increase was 20%.
Rates vary widely by state. Healthinsurance.org's tracker shows Vermont at 3% and Arizona at 29%. Georgia's proposed weighted average is 20.7%. Some states have pushed back. New York regulators approved 6%, far below the 20.6% insurers asked for, while New Mexico approved 24.4%, close to the requests.
Why the jump? Rising health care costs are the biggest driver, KFF says, including hospital prices, drug costs and worker shortages. Insurers also cite the end of extra federal premium help after 2025. When prices rose, younger and healthier people dropped coverage, leaving a sicker and costlier group of members.
The Commonwealth Fund, a health research foundation, says federal policy changes are making things worse, including new paperwork that makes it harder to sign up. At least seven insurers, including Cigna, CareSource and Medica, are leaving the marketplace next year, forcing people in 20 states to pick new plans.
Who pays the most depends on income. Subsidies end for a single person earning more than $63,840 or a family of four above $132,000. Those buyers pay the full price. The Commonwealth Fund estimates a 40-year-old just over that line who paid $445 a month in 2025 could owe $719 a month in 2027.
Most buyers still get help, though. About 87% of enrollees qualified for subsidies this year, and subsidies rise when benchmark prices rise, healthinsurance.org notes.
Open enrollment starts November 1 in most states. Shoppers can compare plans at HealthCare.gov or their state's marketplace.
What we know: Proposed 2027 rates are up about 15% at the median.
What we don't: Where final rates land in states still reviewing.
Where outlets agree KFF, the Commonwealth Fund and Healthinsurance.org all report a median proposed ACA rate increase of about 15% for 2027.
Where they differ The outlets cited here report the same key facts so far.