More than 20 million Americans with marketplace coverage are approaching an affordability cliff. The expiration of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits on December 31, 2025, will cause average premium costs to more than double in 2026.
After months of congressional Republican obstruction, a discharge petition will now force the House to vote on a clean, three-year extension of the enhanced premium tax credits in January. That vote creates a clear path forward to preserving affordability. However, preventing massive premium increases in 2026 will ultimately depend on whether the Senate acts to protect families from higher health insurance costs.
A new analysis by the Center for American Progress Action Fund finds that 2026 ACA health insurance marketplace premium costs will increase by thousands of dollars in 13 states where Republican senators could face accountability from voters, are retiring, or may otherwise be persuadable.
A hypothetical family of four (40- and 38-year-old parents of two children, ages 14 and 12) with an annual income of $161,000 in Anchorage, Alaska, would pay more than $25,300 in annual additional premium costs if the tax credits expire.
The financial strain would extend to single-parent households as well. A 55-year-old parent with an 18-year-old earning $85,000 annually in Portland, Maine, would face a $12,700 increase in annual premiums.
Young adults would also see higher costs. In Huntsville, Alabama, a 27-year-old earning $63,000 annually would need to pay an additional $1,365 to keep their marketplace coverage.
Older adults would face the steepest increases. For instance, in Charleston, West Virginia, premiums for a 62-year-old couple making $85,000 could surge by nearly $52,000.
Conclusion
The House vote is now unavoidable. Whether families face massive premium increases in 2026 depends on Senate action.
The authors would like to thank Brian Keyser for his diligent fact-checking.