Updated January 6, 2026 at 8:06 AM CST
Since 2021, people who buy their health insurance on the Affordable Care Act marketplaces have had extra help — in the form of enhanced subsidies — to buy their plans.
That extra financial help expired on Jan. 1, so millions Americans in that market are facing higher costs in 2026 than last year. Some members of Congress are still working on the issue — which was at the heart of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history — and there's a chance of a retroactive fix happening that could help lower costs.
Meanwhile, open enrollment for ACA marketplaces continues until Jan. 15 in most states, and millions of Americans have already gotten those higher bills for the first month of their 2026 health insurance premium.
Did you use the ACA marketplace to buy health insurance for you or your family this year? NPR wants to hear from you, especially if you had one of the following experiences:
- Were you auto-enrolled into a plan whose cost went way up?
- Did you decide to sign up for a plan with a very high deductible?
- Did you make a big life change — such as changing jobs — for health insurance?
- Did you decide to drop your coverage?
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An earlier version of this story was published on Nov. 10, 2025 under the headline, "Shopping for an Affordable Care Act health plan? NPR wants to hear your experience"
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