LoginWill 2026 Obamacare premiums double for 20 million Americans?
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No.
The amount some pay for Affordable Care Act health insurance will double when enhanced subsidies expire, but there isnβt evidence the number is 20 million.
KFF, a health policy nonprofit, estimates monthly payments for Obamacare recipients will increase, on average, $1,016 β more than doubling, from $888 in 2025 to $1,904 in 2026.
That counts increases to premiums and lost subsidies.
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, citing the KFF report, made the 20 million claim. U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said Sanders was wrong.
KFF doesnβt say how many of the 24 million Obamacare enrollees will see premiums double.
But for 2 to 3 million people on the high end of income eligibility and set to lose all enhanced subsidies, premiums will double or triple.Β
Enhanced subsidies, created in 2021, expire Dec. 31. Some Obamacare enrollees will receive lower enhanced subsidies or none. Standard subsidies remain.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- KFF: ACA Marketplace Premium Payments Would More than Double on Average Next Year if Enhanced Premium Tax Credits Expire
- U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders: Email
- KFF: Email
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: Health Insurance Exchanges 2025 Open Enrollment Report
- The Journalist's Resource: The battle over Affordable Care Act insurance subsidies: What to know as open enrollment looms
- NBC News: What the government shutdown's end means for Obamacare subsidies
- PolitiFact: Fact-checking Democratsβ talking points about Affordable Care Act subsidies
Will 2026 Obamacare premiums double for 20 million Americans? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.
