According to preliminary filings analyzed by KFF, insurers are looking at a median increase of 14 percent. That’s on top of 2026 premiums that were already a median 20 percent higher than the previous year.
These cost spikes are part of the continued fallout from the expiration of the enhanced premium ACA tax credits last year.
If the 2027 rates are ultimately approved, it would be the second-highest increase since 2018 — continuing a trend of turmoil for the health exchanges under the Trump administration after years of coverage gains and relative stability.
Medical costs, including hospitals and prescription drugs, are rising. There’s growing demand for costly specialty medications and for GLP-1s. Some insurers have dropped coverage of the drugs for weight loss because they are so expensive and utilization is so high.
Rising inflation is also playing a role, straining supply chains and making everything more expensive, including healthcare.
While most Americans on ObamaCare plans still qualify for subsidies that protect them from paying the full premiums, middle-income enrollees who don’t get those subsidies are facing a steep increase in costs.
“This was a deliberate choice by Republicans who took away affordable coverage from millions of people to help fund tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations,” said Leslie Dach, chair of the Democratic-aligned group Protect Our Care. “The damage is already being felt at kitchen tables across America, and these new premium hikes show the worst is still ahead.”
