ACA marketplace open enrollment starts Nov. 1 amid rising premiums

Open enrollment for Affordable Care Act marketplace plans opens Saturday, Nov. 1, and millions of Americans face substantially higher health insurance costs next year unless Congress extends enhanced premium tax credits that expire at the end of 2025. Insurers finalized rates earlier this year, and analysts warn that the combination of planned rate increases and the likely loss of supplemental subsidies will sharply raise monthly out‑of‑pocket premiums for many enrollees.

Insurers submitted and locked in 2026 premium rates before the expiration debate intensified, and filings show notable increases. A recent analysis found average premium rates rising in the high teens to low 30s percent depending on the marketplace, while federal and independent analysts project that, if enhanced tax credits end, subsidized enrollees could see their monthly contributions jump by roughly 100 percent or more. Covered California officials estimate average monthly payments would rise about 97 percent for that state. Nationally, roughly 22 million marketplace enrollees currently receive enhanced credits.

The enhanced tax credits, enacted in recent years, expanded subsidy eligibility and reduced the...