Rates for health insurance premiums in the federal government marketplace are expected to increase by 18% in 2026, a spike of 11 percentage points over 2025.
The proposed rates are preliminary and could change before being completed in late summer, The Hill reported Wednesday, citing an analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation. The analysis includes proposed rate changes from 312 insurers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
It would represent the largest rate change insurers have requested since 2018, the last time that policy uncertainty contributed to sharp premium increases, according to The Hill. On average, insurers in the Affordable Care Act marketplace are raising premiums by about 20% in 2026, the analysis found.
Insurers said they want higher premiums to cover rising healthcare costs and prescription drug costs, The Hill reported. Tariffs on imported goods also could play a role, but insurers said there was a lot of uncertainty about implementation, and few insurers were citing tariffs as a reason for the higher rates.
But they are adding in higher increases because of changes made by the Trump administration and Congress. For example, the majority of insurers said they are considering the potential expiration of enhanced premium tax credits. Those subsidies, put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, are set to expire at the end of the year, The Hill reported, and there are few signs that Republicans are interested in tackling the issue.
If Congress takes no action, premiums for subsidized enrollees are projected to increase by more than 75% starting in January, according to the analysis.
Republican Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Wednesday called on the state’s insurance commissioner, Alan McClain, to reject proposed increases from Centene and Blue Cross Blue Shield, which she said filed increases of up to 54% and 25.5%, respectively, according to The Hill.
"Arkansans are tired of getting outrageous bills from multibillion-dollar insurance companies, and my administration will not allow them to take advantage of our people," Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. "Nothing justifies year-over-year premium increases of this scale — it’s wrong and prohibited under Arkansas law.
"Arkansas’ Insurance Commissioner is required to disapprove of proposed rate increases if they are excessive or discriminatory, and these are both. I’m calling on my Commissioner to follow the law, reject these insane rate increases, and protect Arkansans."
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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