Particular person ACA premiums are set to rise sharply in 2026, with preliminary filings displaying a median improve of about 20%, the most important proposed soar since 2018. Earlier than you attain for the panic button (or your calculator), have in mind: these filings are nonetheless preliminary and will come down.
Traditionally, last charges are sometimes trimmed from preliminary requests. For instance, federal evaluation efforts have lowered price hikes by about 1.4 share factors in previous years, saving shoppers tons of of hundreds of thousands of {dollars}.
Proposed 2026 ACA Premium Will increase
ACA watchers (together with me) have been sharing this scary trying (however properly accomplished) graph from the KFF Workforce across the web:
Nationwide common proposed price improve for 2026 sits round 20%, with a median of 18%.
However averages don’t inform the total story…
ACA Charge Enhance 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 provider, you is likely to be locking your workers into the worst-case situations.
Right here’s one other reduce of the info from the Take Command crew as an example the purpose in a couple of choose states (extra obtainable upon request in case 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 affect. 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 strong off-exchange line-up.
Off-exchange plans have a tendency to indicate 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 is likely to be inconvenient. In 2026? It is borderline reckless.
Our evaluation reveals 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 gives or “recommends” a couple 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. gives their workers $500/mo by means of an ICHRA. If workers solely have entry to a single plan or restricted plan set, a 25% improve 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 should eat the fee and pay out of their paycheck.
Nevertheless, if the worker has a strong 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 typical improve is 20% nationally, most Take Command shoppers are in a position to solely improve their allowances 5-10% and workers nonetheless preserve 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 typically much less uncovered to premium volatility. We’re additionally seeing increasingly insurance coverage corporations roll-out ICHRA-specific plans which might be solely obtainable off-exchange. Meaning decrease will increase, and even higher plan design, to your workers. Within the states sampled above, off-exchange plans present a noticeable benefit. That’s the sort of financial savings your individuals won’t ever see in case your ICHRA admin doesn’t help these plans.
Why Take Command: Extra decisions than Healthcare.gov
Take Command gives the broadest entry to each on- and off-exchange plans, empowering workers with true selection and shielding them from extreme premium spikes. Our platform is constructed to accommodate each ACA-compliant plan available in the market, so your crew will get the pliability and management they want.
Brokers and consultants that examine Take Command’s buying expertise to others are sometimes stunned to search out 40-50% extra plans obtainable than they even knew existed.
We’ve crunched the info. We’ve constructed the integrations. We have now deep insurance coverage firm relationships. And we’ve made it straightforward to your crew to save cash, even in a risky yr like 2026.