Obamacare insurers are requesting a 14% median premium increase for 2027 — the second-highest hike in nearly a decade. Enrollment has already dropped 13% in 2026 following the expiration of pandemic-era subsidies, and premiums are on track to rise more than 33% between 2025 and 2027. Rising drug costs, inflation, and a sicker patient pool are all fueling the surge.
Obamacare is getting pricier — again. Insurers offering Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace plans are requesting a 14% median premium increase for 2027, the second-highest proposed hike since 2018, according to health policy research group KFF. Proposals must be submitted to regulators by July 15.
The drivers are familiar: a growing share of higher-risk enrollees, rising drug costs, broader economic inflation, and increased consolidation among medical providers. Healthy members continue to exit the market, leaving a sicker — and more expensive — patient pool behind. Major insurers like Centene and UnitedHealth have already flagged elevated medical costs in their ACA businesses, while CVS Health's Aetna unit exited the marketplace entirely in 2026.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: With subsidies gone and costs climbing, millions of Americans face increasingly unaffordable coverage options — putting pressure on policymakers to address the widening gap in ACA accessibility.
