Americans with job-based plans, Affordable Care Act marketplaces and Medicare face higher bills next year from rising premiums, deductibles and copays.
The cost drivers. Insurers' filings cite higher hospital prices, more doctor visits and costly GLP-1 drugs (injectable weight-loss medications) as the forces pushing healthcare spending up. For individual buyers, that pressure lands as Worth knowingRenewing the same plan at open enrollment does not preserve the subsidy; the enhanced credits lapse automatically, so a plan whose sticker price barely moves can still cost far more out of pocket in 2026..
The Medicare shift. Stand-alone drug plans face extra pressure because a federal pilot that capped monthly premiums is ending, forcing plans to set rates on their own.
What next. State regulators will review and approve final rates before open enrollment starts this fall.
BackgroundWhat the expiring Medicare drug pilot had been holding down
- The Medicare drug pilot cut monthly base premiums by $15 in 2025 and capped plan hikes at $35; for 2026 it cut $10 and allowed hikes up to $50.
- A separate federal law caps annual growth in base drug plan premiums at 6% through 2029.