KFF Follow‑Up Survey Finds Many ACA Enrollees Plan to Cut Food and Basics or Drop Coverage After Enhanced Tax Credits Expire
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A KFF follow‑up survey of 1,117 people with 2025 ACA marketplace coverage finds about eight in 10 returning enrollees say health care costs are higher this year (roughly half "a lot" higher), and 55% plan to cope by cutting spending on food and other basic household needs; roughly 7 in 10 stayed in ACA coverage, about 3 in 10 changed plans within the marketplace, 2 in 10 moved to employer/Medicare/Medicaid or off‑exchange coverage, and about 1 in 10 dropped coverage and are now uninsured. Respondents reported acute cost anxiety—around three‑quarters worry about paying for emergency care or hospitalization and about half worry about routine visits or prescriptions—a situation the survey links to Congress’s January 2026 failure to extend COVID‑era enhanced ACA subsidies, with some facing drastic premium shocks (one cited a mid‑tier plan nearly tripling to $1,200/month).
Health Care Policy
U.S. Economy and Cost of Living
Affordable Care Act and Health Costs