House Speaker Mike Johnson
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As Republicans reportedly get ready to present their own healthcare plan at the Republican conference on Tuesday, KFF has released a poll showing one in four marketplace beneficiaries will likely go without insurance rather than pay double the amount in premiums.
One in three ACA marketplace enrollees said they will “very likely” shop for a cheaper plan rather than pay double the premium cost. One in four said they will “very likely” go without insurance, according to the KFF poll released Thursday.
In September, KFF reported that ACA premiums would more than double in 2026 should the enhanced premium tax credits expire. Standard premium tax credits remain in place for lower income beneficiaries.
About 22 million of the 24 million marketplace enrollees have benefited from the expiring enhanced tax credits, KFF said, and without them, their premium payments are expected to rise an average of 114%, from $888 to $1,904 annually.
The KFF 2025 Marketplace Enrollees Survey was conducted Nov. 7-15 shortly after open enrollment began on Nov. 1.
The enhanced premium tax credits were put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, extended by the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, and are set to expire at the end of this year.
Bipartisan squabbling over extending enhanced premium tax credits this October caused the longest government shutdown in United States history.
Democrats relented after Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said a vote on the subsidies would be taken in December. House Speaker Mike Johnson made no such commitment.
Republicans are coming up with their own plan to overhaul healthcare, Politico reported on Thursday. The plan will reportedly include policy to curb the influence of pharmacy benefit managers as a way to control drug costs.
The plan, aimed at providing options to the ACA, is expected to be presented at a Republican conference meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 9, Politico reported.
It could include provisions for “association health plans,” allowing smaller businesses to join together to offer plans, or options for expanding the use of health savings accounts, something supported by President Donald Trump, the report said.
Another plan, co-led by Reps. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., and Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., has the bipartisan support of 35 House members.
Released on Thursday, the new healthcare framework called CommonGround 2025 includes a two-year extension of health insurance premium savings, including a one-year extension of the enhanced premium tax credits, with modifications. The goal is for a vote by Dec. 18 in both the House and Senate.
Email the writer: SMorse@himss.org