Particular person ACA premiums are set to rise sharply in 2026, with preliminary filings exhibiting a mean enhance of about 20%, the biggest proposed leap since 2018. Earlier than you attain for the panic button (or your calculator), take note: these filings are nonetheless preliminary and will come down.
Traditionally, closing charges are sometimes trimmed from preliminary requests. For instance, federal assessment efforts have decreased price hikes by about 1.4 share factors in previous years, saving customers lots of of tens of millions of {dollars}.
Proposed 2026 ACA Premium Will increase
ACA watchers (together with me) have been sharing this scary trying (however nicely finished) graph from the KFF Crew across the web:
Nationwide common proposed price enhance for 2026 sits round 20%, with a median of 18%.
However averages don’t inform the complete story…
ACA Fee Improve Averages Are Mendacity Liars
Whereas the 20% common sounds scary sufficient, it is the variation beneath the floor that basically issues. Some insurers are requesting will increase north of fifty%, whereas others are coming in at single digits (and even decreases). In case your ICHRA technique pins all hopes on one plan or service, you may be locking your workers into the worst-case situations.
Right here’s one other reduce of the info from the Take Command staff as an instance the purpose in a number of choose states (extra out there upon request should you ask properly or need to run ICHRA design with us):
Whereas no class of well being advantages (particular person, group, level-funded, and many others) are actually in a position to escape will increase this yr (driving by inflation prices, elevated utilization, and political uncertainty), the ICHRA market has an opportunity to mitigate the impression. That is very true in case your ICHRA administrator maintains can effectuate plans from all kinds of insurance coverage carriers and has entry to a sturdy off-exchange line-up.
Off-exchange plans have a tendency to point out decrease will increase—a bonus your shoppers or workers might miss with out the fitting ICHRA setup.
Why Plan Selection for ICHRA Isn’t Simply Good, It’s Important
Some ICHRA directors restrict the plans workers can select from. They may solely help plans from insurers they’re contracted with, or prohibit entry to solely on-exchange choices.
In a typical yr, that may be inconvenient. In 2026? It is borderline reckless.
Our evaluation exhibits that price will increase vary from -5% to +59%. Roughly one in 4 insurers are asking for will increase over 25%. In case your ICHRA administrator solely provides or “recommends” a number of plans, they usually occur to be on the excessive finish of the dimensions, your shoppers and workers will really feel it of their wallets.
Let’s give an instance. Say ABC Co. provides their workers $500/mo by means of an ICHRA. If workers solely have entry to a single plan or restricted plan set, a 25% enhance means the employer might want to enhance their ICHRA allowance to $625/mo to permit their worker to take care of buying energy, or the worker must eat the fee and pay out of their paycheck.
Nonetheless, if the worker has a sturdy set of plan choices (together with off-exchange), the worker will seemingly have the ability to discover a totally different plan that meets their wants at a a lot decrease price.
It’s why this yr, though the common enhance is 20% nationally, most Take Command shoppers are in a position to solely enhance their allowances 5-10% and workers nonetheless keep buying energy.
Off-Trade Plans are the Unsung Hero in ACA Market Volatility
As a result of off-exchange plans aren’t impacted by the expiration of enhanced subsidies, they’re usually much less uncovered to premium volatility. We’re additionally seeing an increasing number of insurance coverage corporations roll-out ICHRA-specific plans which might be solely out there off-exchange. Meaning decrease will increase, and even higher plan design, on your workers. Within the states sampled above, off-exchange plans present a noticeable benefit. That’s the sort of financial savings your folks won’t ever see in case your ICHRA admin doesn’t help these plans.
Why Take Command: Extra decisions than Healthcare.gov
Take Command provides the broadest entry to each on- and off-exchange plans, empowering workers with true alternative and shielding them from extreme premium spikes. Our platform is constructed to accommodate each ACA-compliant plan available in the market, so your staff will get the pliability and management they want.
Brokers and consultants that examine Take Command’s procuring expertise to others are sometimes shocked to search out 40-50% extra plans out there than they even knew existed.
We’ve crunched the info. We’ve constructed the integrations. We now have deep insurance coverage firm relationships. And we’ve made it simple on your staff to save cash, even in a unstable yr like 2026.
