Obamacare insurers want a median 15% premium increase for 2027 as 11 companies left the marketplace before open enrollment starts

The Health System Tracker monitored 276 U.S. health insurers and concluded that its analysis “shows a median proposed premium increase of 15%” for 2027. While that figure is lower than the finalized 2025 rate hike of 20%, it does show the proposed hikes for 2027 are the highest in eight years. The HST report underscored that if the 15% figure holds, overall Affordable Care Act health insurance premiums will have risen by about 33% in the last two years.

The 15% ACA rate hike figure also comes as the marketplace’s tax credits have been curbed, and more Americans will have to carry the rate-hike load coming in 2027, the HST reported.

“The expiration of enhanced premium tax credits reduced financial assistance across the board, resulting in a smaller share of people receiving subsidies and higher average premium payments driving people to opt for lower-premium bronze plans that tend to have higher deductibles,” the Tracker report noted.

The new figures also arrive as 11 insurers cut the cord with the ACA, as of October 2026, Peterson KFF reported. One big name exiting is Cigna, which plans to “focus on other segments given the lack of potential to grow their ACA Marketplace business.”

Here’s a closer look inside the numbers

Health care insurance experts say recent increases in ACA coverage rates are partly due to public policy changes and economic inflation.

“Because Congress failed to extend the ACA’s enhanced premium tax credits, fewer people are eligible for subsidies to help them purchase health insurance, and the tax credits that are still available are significantly smaller than in previous years,” Shaina Goodman, vice president of policy and government affairs at Community Catalyst, told Moneywise.

Additionally, the Trump administration’s cost-containment rules have made it harder and more confusing to sign up for health insurance.

“That’s resulted in 1.2 million fewer people enrolling in ACA marketplace coverage,” Goodman said, adding the coverage losses don’t stop there. “Overall, we’ve seen an 18% drop in the individual health insurance market, including people who buy health insurance for themselves outside of the ACA marketplaces, which translates to about 4.6 million fewer people enrolled in private health insurance.”

Combined, those health care insurance cost factors will hit consumers hard in the pocketbook, especially as the risk pool has seen younger, healthier children and working-age adults dropping out of coverage.

“When this happens, we predictably see significant increases in the price of health insurance,” Goodman added.

For the average person no longer eligible for ACA tax credits, Goodman estimates the projected 15% premium increase translates to about $1,300 more per year in premium costs. Some ACA consumers will face higher costs than others, Goodman noted, including the following demographics:

• Southern and Western states are seeing the largest premium increases, with higher out-of-pocket costs.
• Lower-income households are more likely to shift to lower-value plans with higher out-of-pocket costs.
• People who no longer qualify for subsidies, such as lawfully residing immigrants and people with incomes over 400% of the federal poverty level.

How ACA consumers can optimize their experience

For Americans looking to buy an ACA plan, doing your homework matters more than ever. Here’s what health insurance analysts advise:

Be choosy about your healthcare plan

For the approximately 19 million Americans who get health insurance through the ACA Marketplace plans, shopping around can pay off.

“People who comparison shop ACA plans can potentially save an average of over $2,000 per year on their premiums, all while keeping comparable benefit levels,” Whitney Stidom, vice president of consumer enablement at Indianapolis-based eHealth, told Moneywise.

Merge any planned procedures with your coverage strategy

If you’ve already scheduled, or plan to schedule, a potentially costly healthcare procedure, align it with your 2027 ACA strategy.