• Posted March 20, 2026

Survey Shows More People Struggling To Afford ACA Insurance

Rising health insurance costs are pushing some Americans to drop their coverage, a new survey finds.

About 1 in 10 people who had Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans last year are now uninsured, according to a report from the health policy group KFF. 

The change follows a sharp increase in premiums following expiration of extra federal subsidies earlier this year.

The survey of 1,117 people who had ACA plans last year was conducted in February and early March. It looked at how higher costs are affecting participants in coverage under the ACA, also known as Obamacare.

Among those surveyed, 69% still have ACA plans, 9% are now uninsured and 22% have switched to other types of coverage, such as employer-based insurance or Medicare.

Cost was the main reason people gave for dropping their plans.

“Not only is there significant coverage loss, but there could be more to come,” Cynthia Cox, a senior vice president at KFF, told The Wall Street Journal. She said the findings were “about on target” compared to what experts expected.

Many people who kept their ACA plans say they are paying more, not just in premiums, but also in copays, coinsurance and deductibles.

About 17% of current enrollees said they weren’t sure they can afford their premiums for the full year, meaning more folks may drop in the near future.

To keep their insurance, some families are cutting back in other areas of life. More than half of respondents said they had cut back on spending on food, clothing or household basics to pay for health care.

Others are falling behind on payments. About 4% of people with ACA plans had not yet made a premium payment this year, though many are still covered during a 90-day grace period.

Kelly Rose of Florida said she dropped her ACA plan after her monthly premium soared to about $1,700.

“It’s more than my mortgage,” she told The Wall Street Journal.

Rose said her employer does offer health insurance, but she missed the enrollment deadline because she had originally planned to keep her ACA plan. 

Now uninsured, she is buying her asthma medication from a Canadian pharmacy, where it costs less than the $800 per month price tag in the U.S.

Last year, more than 20 million people had ACA coverage. In 2026, about 23 million people signed up, down from 24.2 million the year before, data shows.

Experts say younger and healthier people are more likely to drop coverage when prices rise.

Some insurers are already reacting. CVS Health’s Aetna has dropped from the ACA market entirely.

The future of ACA subsidies remains uncertain and is expected to be debated again in upcoming election campaigns.

More information

HealthCare.gov has more about enrolling for health insurance.

SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal, March 19, 2026