{"id":239235,"date":"2025-12-18T13:10:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T13:10:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/239235\/"},"modified":"2025-12-18T13:10:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T13:10:07","slug":"americans-facing-soaring-health-insurance-costs-may-get-a-lifeline-in-2026-experts-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/239235\/","title":{"rendered":"Americans facing soaring health insurance costs may get a lifeline in 2026, experts say"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul data-testid=\"Summary\" class=\"summary-module__summary__QjADA\">\n<li data-testid=\"Body\" class=\"text-module__text__0GDob text-module__dark-grey__UFC18 text-module__regular__qJJtA text-module__small__sph8i body-module__base__o--Cl body-module__small_body__gOmDf summary-module__point__UgXPz\">Political pressure to prompt Obamacare credit extension, investors say<\/li>\n<li data-testid=\"Body\" class=\"text-module__text__0GDob text-module__dark-grey__UFC18 text-module__regular__qJJtA text-module__small__sph8i body-module__base__o--Cl body-module__small_body__gOmDf summary-module__point__UgXPz\">Enrollment period may extend if subsidies are retroactively enacted, experts say<\/li>\n<li data-testid=\"Body\" class=\"text-module__text__0GDob text-module__dark-grey__UFC18 text-module__regular__qJJtA text-module__small__sph8i body-module__base__o--Cl body-module__small_body__gOmDf summary-module__point__UgXPz\">Premium hikes lead to enrollment drop, insurers prepare for subsidy lapse<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>NEW YORK\/WASHINGTON, Dec 18 (Reuters) &#8211; Americans facing skyrocketing Obamacare health insurance premiums could still get a break from expanded government subsidies in 2026 through retroactive legislation and possibly a special enrollment period, investors, analysts and industry experts say.<\/p>\n<p>President <a data-testid=\"Link\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/us\/donald-trump\/\" class=\"text-module__text__0GDob text-module__inherit-color__PhuPF text-module__inherit-font__1P1hv text-module__inherit-size__EyiQW link-module__link__INqxZ link-module__underline_default__-okuC\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Donald Trump<\/a> and the Republican Party have been divided for months on a replacement for the Affordable Care Act&#8217;s extra COVID-era subsidies that have made insurance more affordable for most of the 24 million Americans who rely on the government-backed plans.<\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"promo-box\" class=\"text-module__text__0GDob text-module__dark-grey__UFC18 text-module__regular__qJJtA text-module__small__sph8i body-module__base__o--Cl body-module__small_body__gOmDf article-body-module__promo-box__hVl8h\"> Sign up  <a data-testid=\"Link\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/legal\/litigation\/americans-facing-soaring-health-insurance-costs-may-get-lifeline-2026-experts-2025-12-18\/undefined?location=article-paragraph&amp;redirectUrl=%2Flegal%2Flitigation%2Famericans-facing-soaring-health-insurance-costs-may-get-lifeline-2026-experts-2025-12-18%2F\" class=\"text-module__text__0GDob text-module__inherit-color__PhuPF text-module__inherit-font__1P1hv text-module__inherit-size__EyiQW link-module__link__INqxZ link-module__underline_default__-okuC\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Republicans have been promising an ACA alternative for over a decade, but have yet to produce one with a passable consensus that maintains consumer protections of Obamacare plans<\/p>\n<p>Two U.S. Senate votes aimed at addressing the issue <a data-testid=\"Link\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/legal\/litigation\/republican-controlled-us-congress-poised-allow-obamacare-health-subsidies-expire-2025-12-11\/\" class=\"text-module__text__0GDob text-module__inherit-color__PhuPF text-module__inherit-font__1P1hv text-module__inherit-size__EyiQW link-module__link__INqxZ link-module__underline_default__-okuC\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">failed to pass<\/a> last week, and a plan in the U.S. House of Representatives is unlikely to advance.<\/p>\n<p>Without a deal, millions of Americans must now weigh whether to sign up and be prepared to pay much higher prices or go without health insurance. Total premium costs for subsidized Obamacare enrollees are expected to increase to an average $1,904 for 2026 from $888 in 2025.<\/p>\n<p>Investors are still hoping for an eventual deal in 2026, with shares of health insurers including Centene <a data-testid=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/markets\/companies\/CNC.N\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" class=\"text-module__text__0GDob text-module__inherit-color__PhuPF text-module__inherit-font__1P1hv text-module__inherit-size__EyiQW link-module__link__INqxZ link-module__underline_default__-okuC link-module__with-icon__qlg76\">(CNC.N), opens new tab<\/a>, UnitedHealth <a data-testid=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/markets\/companies\/UNH.N\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" class=\"text-module__text__0GDob text-module__inherit-color__PhuPF text-module__inherit-font__1P1hv text-module__inherit-size__EyiQW link-module__link__INqxZ link-module__underline_default__-okuC link-module__with-icon__qlg76\">(UNH.N), opens new tab<\/a> and Elevance <a data-testid=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/markets\/companies\/ELV.N\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" class=\"text-module__text__0GDob text-module__inherit-color__PhuPF text-module__inherit-font__1P1hv text-module__inherit-size__EyiQW link-module__link__INqxZ link-module__underline_default__-okuC link-module__with-icon__qlg76\">(ELV.N), opens new tab<\/a> all up since the beginning of December, even as chances of an 11th-hour Congressional action fade.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There\u2019s no absolute drop-dead date for extending the ACA enhanced premium subsidies. ACA enrollees would welcome premium relief whenever it comes,&#8221; said Larry Levitt, health policy executive at health research firm KFF.<\/p>\n<p>SPECIAL ENROLLMENT PERIOD<\/p>\n<p>Obamacare plan enrollment opened in November and closes on January 15. If a deal were reached after that, it could include a retroactive extension of the subsidies and new sign-ups or a special enrollment period could be added, reflecting the lowered costs, said Levitt and Daniel Barasa, a portfolio manager at investment firm Gabelli, which owns Cigna shares.<\/p>\n<p>Insurers have been preparing for the lapse of the credits, structuring 2025 plans as if they will expire, and raising premiums, which KFF said could more than double for many.<\/p>\n<p>The expanded subsidies apply to households making more than 400% of the federal poverty level.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We\u2019re going into an election year where affordability is&#8221; the main issue facing Trump and fellow Republicans looking to maintain control of Congress, said Kevin Gade, chief operating officer at investment firm Bahl &amp; Gaynor, which owns UnitedHealth shares.<\/p>\n<p>Gade, Barasa, and James Harlow, a senior vice president at Novare Capital Management, which owns UnitedHealth shares, said there will be increased political pressure on Congress to deliver a solution as more time passes.<\/p>\n<p>ENROLLMENT DROPPING<\/p>\n<p>The shock of increased premiums is already pushing shoppers to drop coverage, said KFF&#8217;s Levitt.<\/p>\n<p>KFF data shows most people enroll in the early weeks after the marketplace opens. Historical U.S. data shows a separate surge in early January for Obamacare sign-ups.<\/p>\n<p>A December KFF survey showed 25% of Obamacare marketplace enrollees say they will likely <a data-testid=\"Link\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/healthcare-pharmaceuticals\/obamacare-premium-spikes-could-drive-off-enrollees-most-want-subsidy-extension-2025-12-04\/\" class=\"text-module__text__0GDob text-module__inherit-color__PhuPF text-module__inherit-font__1P1hv text-module__inherit-size__EyiQW link-module__link__INqxZ link-module__underline_default__-okuC\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">go without insurance<\/a> next year if premiums double for their current plans.<\/p>\n<p>UnitedHealth has said it expects ACA enrollment to be reduced by about two-thirds.<\/p>\n<p>Consumers who don&#8217;t select a new plan during open enrollment are typically auto-reenrolled. Healthcare.gov will keep them in the same plan if it remains available or move them to a similar option from the same insurer if their current plan has been discontinued.<\/p>\n<p>A spokesperson for a national health insurer said the company is increasingly engaging with consumers to make them aware of auto-renewals that may subject them to plans they cannot afford and reduce confusion for shoppers navigating premium increases.<\/p>\n<p>Government data released in December shows that 13.4% of people who signed up for 2025 plans in states that directly sell them to residents have renewed their plans. Renewal figures were at 13.9% during the same time last year.<\/p>\n<p>Morningstar analyst Julie Utterback said concerns the insurers will end up with mostly sick members as healthy ones forego insurance may be overstated.<\/p>\n<p>Three states operating their own exchanges told Reuters they continue to see lagging sign-ups compared to the year prior, with Washington and Pennsylvania saying new sign-ups were down 16% and California seeing a 33% decrease from last year.<\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"SignOff\" class=\"text-module__text__0GDob text-module__dark-grey__UFC18 text-module__regular__qJJtA text-module__extra_small__8Buss body-module__full_width__kCIGb body-module__extra_small_body__Bfz20 sign-off-module__text__LQAMP\">Reporting by Amina Niasse in New York and Ahmed Aboulenein in Washington; Additional reporting by Sneha SK and Sriparna Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Caroline Humer<\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"Body\" dir=\"ltr\" class=\"text-module__text__0GDob text-module__dark-grey__UFC18 text-module__regular__qJJtA text-module__small__sph8i body-module__base__o--Cl body-module__small_body__gOmDf article-body-module__element__5eCce article-body-module__trust-badge__5mS3f\">Our Standards: <a data-testid=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thomsonreuters.com\/en\/about-us\/trust-principles.html\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" class=\"text-module__text__0GDob text-module__dark-grey__UFC18 text-module__medium__2Rl30 text-module__small__sph8i link-module__link__INqxZ link-module__underline_default__-okuC link-module__with-icon__qlg76\">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reutersagency.com\/en\/licensereuterscontent\/?utm_medium=rcom-article-media&amp;utm_campaign=rcom-rcp-lead\" target=\"_blank\" dir=\"ltr\" class=\"button-module__link__A3sD0 button-module__secondary__70gBu button-module__round__QDFgq button-module__w_auto__Sem-F\" data-testid=\"LicenceContentButton\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Purchase Licensing Rights<\/a><a data-testid=\"AuthorBioImageLink\" class=\"author-bio-module__author-image__jcaG3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/authors\/ahmed-aboulenein\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" tabindex=\"-1\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"Body\" class=\"text-module__text__0GDob text-module__dark-grey__UFC18 text-module__regular__qJJtA text-module__extra_small__8Buss body-module__base__o--Cl body-module__extra_small_body__Bfz20 author-bio-module__description__9ynkB\">Washington-based correspondent covering U.S. healthcare and pharmaceutical policy with a focus on the Department of Health and Human Services and the agencies it oversees such as the Food and Drug Administration, previously based in Iraq and Egypt.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Political pressure to prompt Obamacare credit extension, investors say Enrollment period may extend if subsidies are retroactively enacted,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":239236,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[275],"tags":[82519,82794,82500,82559,83399,87652,87221,83404,82531,84147,87219,85215,82779,18,32356,82503,45748,87209,87210,135,475,474,87211,87648,87649,87212,87213,87214,87215,92745,19,87216,17,4164,721,87217,82565,82524,82507,87647,87220,83402,85216,82780,82508,1540,83810,82510,90314,23083,105305,105306,105307,82558,87205,87206,98906,87203,107,83127],"class_list":{"0":"post-239235","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthcare","8":"tag-amers","9":"tag-clj","10":"tag-cmpny","11":"tag-destlita","12":"tag-destocatpm","13":"tag-destohlt","14":"tag-destoinn","15":"tag-destopub","16":"tag-destousbsm","17":"tag-destousdnm","18":"tag-destoushem","19":"tag-destouspom","20":"tag-destoustpm","21":"tag-eire","22":"tag-fin","23":"tag-fins","24":"tag-gen","25":"tag-hea","26":"tag-heains","27":"tag-health","28":"tag-health-care","29":"tag-healthcare","30":"tag-heca","31":"tag-hfac","32":"tag-hfac1","33":"tag-hlthse","34":"tag-hmos","35":"tag-hmos1","36":"tag-hpas","37":"tag-hrep","38":"tag-ie","39":"tag-insr","40":"tag-ireland","41":"tag-law","42":"tag-legal","43":"tag-lins","44":"tag-mtpix","45":"tag-namer","46":"tag-news1","47":"tag-nrlpaohlt","48":"tag-nrlpaoinn","49":"tag-nrlpaopub","50":"tag-packageus-politics","51":"tag-packageus-top-news","52":"tag-pol","53":"tag-potus","54":"tag-privt","55":"tag-publ","56":"tag-rea","57":"tag-real","58":"tag-reale","59":"tag-reale1","60":"tag-reop","61":"tag-reuters-legal","62":"tag-rhpihealth-insurance","63":"tag-rhpihealthcare-providers","64":"tag-sen","65":"tag-topicpharma-healthcare-business-health","66":"tag-us","67":"tag-wash"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239235","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=239235"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239235\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/239236"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=239235"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=239235"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=239235"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}