Why your premium jumped, and what to do about it
At the end of 2025, the enhanced premium tax credits expired. They were the temporary boost that had been lowering Marketplace premiums since 2021, and when they lapsed, the discount came off.
The effect was not small. Across the Marketplace, the average amount people actually pay each month went from about $113 to about $178 — a 58 percent increase. That is the same plan, the same person, a different year.
The part almost nobody is talking about is the deductible. The average Marketplace deductible rose 37 percent, from $2,759 to $3,786. That is the steepest single-year increase on record, and it is the number that decides what a bad year costs you — not the premium.
Faced with a bigger bill, people did the logical thing and bought cheaper plans. Bronze went from 30 percent of sign-ups to 40 percent. Silver fell from 57 percent to 43 percent, a historic low.
That is where it gets expensive. Cost-sharing reductions — the extra help that lowers your deductible and copays — only exist on Silver plans. Leave Silver to save on the premium and you leave that help behind, even if you qualify for it. Enrollment in cost-sharing Silver plans hit a record low of 37 percent. Some of those people saved $40 a month and took on thousands of dollars of extra risk.
So here is what is worth checking before January 15.
One: your income estimate. Your credit is based on what you expect to earn next year, not what you earned last year. If your estimate is stale, your credit is wrong. For anyone self-employed, this is the single highest-value thing to get right.
Two: whether you qualify for cost-sharing reductions. If you do, compare Silver against Bronze on total cost for the year, not on the monthly premium. They often land in the opposite order once the deductible is counted.
Three: whether the Marketplace is even your best market. If you are in good health and do not qualify for a subsidy, a medically underwritten private plan may price better than an unsubsidized Marketplace plan. It is not right for everyone — if you are managing a condition, the ACA protections are worth more than the premium difference, and I will tell you so.
Open Enrollment for 2027 coverage runs November 1 through January 15. Enroll by December 15 for coverage that starts January 1. None of this gets easier by waiting, and all three checks fit inside one fifteen-minute call.
Sources
- KFFAverage Marketplace deductible growth in 2026, and the shift toward higher-deductible plans as enhanced tax credits expired. Source of the 37 percent, $2,759 to $3,786, and the Bronze and Silver figures.
- KFF2026 Marketplace enrollment, premiums and deductibles. Source of the 58 percent rise in average monthly payments.
- HealthCare.govOfficial Open Enrollment dates and deadlines.
Every figure above is a national average published by these sources. Your own numbers depend on your state, your household and your plan, and nothing here is a quote.
