The U.S. federal government released a preview of what consumers can expect to pay next year if they buy health insurance through Obamacare. And it’s not good.
The average amount that health insurers will be charging for coverage at ACA Marketplaces is rising by 26% on average, according to analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Roughly 24 million Americans have Obamacare coverage.
Open enrollment for next year starts Nov. 1 and runs through Jan. 15, 2026, but the federal government website Healthcare.gov opened up this week to allow anyone with Obamacare to get a preview of what kind of coverage they can purchase. They call it the “window shopping period.”
The New York Times talked to one 61-year-old woman in Oregon who said that she paid $439 per month in 2025 and checked to see how much she might be paying next year. The newspaper reports that the plan she had will jump to $1,059 and has a deductible of $7,100.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which oversees ACA enrollment and is run by Dr. Mehmet Oz, published a press release Tuesday that tried to downplay higher costs while insisting that many consumers will be able to buy plans at $50 or less per month. Those plans have very high deductibles, of course. Oz suggested during a press conference Wednesday that something illegitimate was happening with many people on Obamacare.
Oz claimed that “half” of people on Obamacare haven’t filed a claim all year. “I have to ask myself—you should be as well—if I had insurance, why would I never use it?” Oz said.
“The concern that has been raised is that a large number of the 12 million people who had never used their insurance last year may not legitimately have the insurance, know they have the insurance, want to have the insurance.”
It’s unclear what Oz was trying to suggest exactly.
One reason that health insurance costs are expected to soar next year is that federal tax credits will expire unless Congress acts. But nbody expects Congress to act, given the fact that Republicans have refused to negotiate with Democrats on the issue. It’s the main sticking point that has kept the government shut down since Oct. 1. Democrats want an expansion of the covid-era credits and Republicans simply refuse to budge, insisting that the credits were intended to be temporary.
Oz, a former TV host known for frequently spreading bullshit, also complained that the government shutdown was keeping staff at his agency from properly addressing “issues,” like why so many people with Obamacare aren’t filing claims.
