Your health insurance bills are about to go up

Key Points:

• Most Americans will face significant health insurance cost increases in 2027 across employer-based plans, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace, and Medicare, driven by rising medical care and prescription drug prices.
• ACA marketplace premiums are expected to rise about 15% on average, following a 20% increase in 2026, partly due to the expiration of enhanced federal subsidies and increased use of costly medications like GLP-1 weight loss drugs.
• Employers anticipate an 8.2% rise in health benefit costs per worker, the largest since 2003, often passing these increases onto employees through higher premiums, deductibles, or copays.
• Medicare Part D prescription drug premiums may increase by about 6% in 2027 after the Trump administration ended a temporary program that had helped keep premiums lower, potentially straining seniors on fixed incomes.
• The White House announced $500 rebate checks for some ACA enrollees overcharged last year, but experts warn the relief will be minimal compared to overall premium hikes and enrollment declines among healthier young adults.