Faced with higher premium payments without enhanced tax credits beyond 2025, plan sign-ups during the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) Marketplace 2026 open enrollment period dropped by over a million. And the rates of effectuated enrollment, i.e., how many individuals will actually pay their premiums following enrollment, may be even lower. That number could plummet to a monthly average that is 6 million fewer than in 2025. KFF reports that enrollee premium costs increased by an average of 58%, from $113 to $178 per month in 2026, while deductibles increased by 37% ($1,027 per person) to a record high of $3,786.
