ACA cost in some states go up by 14%
Report may hint at hikes in New Jersey premiums
By: Scott Fallon
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey
..... Health insurance premiums are rising by about 14% in 2027 for plans under the Affordable care Act in several sates, said a new report - a bellwether of what might be seen for private and public plans in New Jersey next year. [2027]
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Although New Jersey is not included in the report, rate filings have been submitted by insurance companies to the state Department of Banking and Insurance, said Dawn Thomas, a department spokespeople.
..... The department did not provide the rate hikes for its ACA program, called GetCoveredNJ, when they were requested last week [[07/15/2026] by NorthJersey.com . Thomas said the paperwork is still under review and the average rats would eventually be posted on the department's website, but did not say when.
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About 440,000 New Jerseyans are enrolled in the program in 2026 because they do not get health insurance through an employer, Medicare or Medicaid.
..... The 14% rise was discovered by the Kaiser family Foundation, a nonprofit health information organization which examined filings submitted by insurance companies to regulators in 16 states.
..... The rise comes after GetCoveedNJ and ACA plans in other states surged dramatically this year. [2026] Along with premium increase, a drop in federal subsides caused rates to skyrocket by as much as 175% in New Jersey. the sticker shock led 69,000 New Jersey residents to drop coverage this year [2026] when they received their first bills.
..... Thousands of others who signed up opted for plans with lower premiums that offer fewer services and higher deductibles.
..... The rollback of subsidies is the result of President Donald Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill," or HRI, which cut funding for social services in order to keep tax cuts in place.
..... New Jersey hospital executives said they fear that there emergency departments will be slammed with waves of uninsured patients due to ACA and Medicaid cuts.
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An estimated 300,000 New Jerseyans will lose Medicaid coverage - health insurance for low-income residents - beginning January 1, 2027, if they don't sign up for new work requirements.
..... About eight to 12 New Jersey hospitals that serve low-income communities are at risk of closing due to the cuts, advocacy groups have said.
..... Kaiser's examination of the filing in 16 states found that premium increases ranged from 1% to 52%, but the majority were between 10% and 20%. The 14% median increase would be second only to last year [2025] for the highest increase for ACA plans in almost 10 years.
..... Rising health care costs are the Number 1 reason insurance companies gave in their filings, citing everything from inflation to contracts hammered out between carriers, hospitals and other provides, Kaiser said.
..... Another reason given is the increase in provider salaries due to the labor shortage in health care.
..... The nearby states of New York and Connecticut were part of Kaiser's analysis.
..... Other states in the report, covering a wide swath of the nation, were Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, +Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont and Washington.