Obamacare Premiums Jump 13% for 2027 as Open Enrollment Begins

Premiums for benchmark Obamacare plans will rise an average of 13% in 2027, according to an analysis by the health research group KFF, marking the second straight year of double-digit increases under the Affordable Care Act just as open enrollment begins Sunday.

The new hike follows a 26% jump in benchmark silver premiums from 2025 to 2026, KFF reported. Taken together, KFF said benchmark silver premiums have climbed 42% on average between 2025 and 2027.

Millions of Americans who buy health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace are facing another sharp price increase: Benchmark premiums are rising an average 13% in 2027, after jumping 26% this year.https://t.co/4KMmFJX2fO

— CBS Austin (@cbsaustin) October 31, 2026

KFF based its estimate on 2027 pricing data the Trump administration released Friday for the states that use the federal HealthCare.gov marketplace, according to The Hill. In HealthCare.gov states, benchmark premiums are rising 11%, while states that run their own exchanges are seeing average increases of 16%, KFF reported. A separate Washington Post analysis of finalized and proposed rates found premiums would typically rise about 15% next year.

Insurers had proposed a median increase of 15% for 2027, according to KFF. In their rate filings, insurers pointed to a higher-than-usual increase in the underlying cost of medical care, a pressure KFF noted is also hitting some employer plans. Insurers also cited the expiration of enhanced premium tax credits at the end of 2025 and resulting changes in the pool of people buying coverage, KFF reported. KFF’s review of filings found insurers estimated those risk-pool changes added about four percentage points to premiums in 2026, with a similar additional effect expected in 2027.

The higher costs come as enrollment in the marketplaces has been shrinking. Nearly 3 million people left the marketplace during a year-long period ending in early 2026, and about 20.5 million people were enrolled by June, according to The Washington Post, citing federal data and KFF.

KFF said most enrollees receive a subsidy that will cushion the increase, but people earning more than 400% of the federal poverty level no longer qualify for premium tax credits and must pay the full cost of coverage. KFF warned those higher costs may push additional healthier enrollees to drop coverage, putting further upward pressure on premiums.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), in its 2027 marketplace fact sheet, emphasized lower-cost options. CMS said more than 75% of Americans buying coverage through HealthCare.gov will have access to plans with premiums at or below $50 a month in 2027, and that people eligible for tax credits will have access to a plan with nearly 90% of the lowest-cost premium paid by the federal government. The agency also said every HealthCare.gov shopper will have access to plans eligible for health savings accounts, with 35 HSA-eligible plans available on average, and an average of 100 plans to choose from.

Open enrollment for 2027 HealthCare.gov coverage runs from Nov. 1, 2026, through Jan. 15, 2027, according to CMS.

The figures land days before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, as both parties argue over who is to blame for rising health costs. The Affordable Care Act was signed into law in 2010. Sixteen years later, families shopping on its exchanges are facing a second straight year of double-digit benchmark increases, according to KFF’s numbers.

Sources

• KFF
• The Hill
• The Washington Post
• CMS

Reporting by Daily Beltway.