The Average Marketplace Deductible Grew by About $1,000 Per Person in 2026, With More Enrollees Shifting to Higher-Deductible Plans as Enhanced Tax Credits Expired
By Tammie Smith
kff.org – The average Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace deductible experienced the steepest increase in history—growing by 37% or over $1,000, from $2,759 in 2025 to $3,786 in 2026 as enhanced premium tax credits expired, according to a new KFF analysis.
After the enhanced tax credits ended, many Marketplace shoppers shifted toward lower-premium, higher-deductible plans. Between 2025 and 2026, sign-ups for bronze plans jumped from 30% to 40% of total plan selections—growing from 7.3 million to 9.2 million people.
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Trump and Kennedy seek to relax safeguards for AI healthcare tools
By Darius Tahir, KFF Health News
fiercehealthcare.com – Paul Boyer, a psychotherapist for Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, California, is experiencing the AI revolution firsthand. He’s a little underwhelmed.
The health giant has rolled out a new suite of note-taking software, made by healthcare AI pioneer Abridge, intended to summarize a patient’s visit at supersonic speed. For many clinicians, the technology soothes one of the persistent headaches of their lives—administration and paperwork.
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CMS finalizes major changes to ACA exchanges, including greater access to catastrophic plans
By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn
healthcaredive.com – The Trump administration on Friday finalized a major rule reshaping the Affordable Care Act exchanges, including increasing access to nontraditional and cheaper policies that come with much higher deductibles.
CMS officials said the changes, which go into effect in 2027, would increase consumer choice, crack down on improper enrollments and lower premiums — a particular concern for millions of Americans contending with elevated costs for coverage this year.
More generous subsidies for ACA plans expired at the end of 2025, sparking a cost crisis that’s resulted in 1.2 million fewer people signing up for coverage in the exchanges set up by the 2010 law.
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Supreme Court lets Medicare drug price negotiations stand: What it means for health systems
By Ella Jeffries
beckershospitalreview.com – The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear petitions from six major drugmakers challenging the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program, leaving in place lower court rulings that upheld the program and effectively closing off the industry’s best remaining path to dismantling it through the courts.
The justices refused to take up separate appeals brought by AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Janssen, Novartis and Novo Nordisk, and gave no reason for their decision.
The decision is the latest blow to an industrywide legal campaign that began when President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law in August 2022.
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Health systems join payers as early adopters of electronic prior authorization
By Susan Morse
healthcarefinancenews.com – Providers AtlantiCare, Bon Secours Mercy Health, Cleveland Clinic, Froedtert ThedaCare, Ochsner Health, Providence, Rush University System for Health, Sanford Health and Tennessee Oncology have joined payers as early adopters of the Electronic Prior Authorization Acceleration initiative by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service.
The health systems are joining health plans that have already signed on. The insurers include Aetna, Blue Shield of California, Cambia Health Solutions, Cigna, Elevance Health, Highmark Blue Shield, Horizon Blue Cross of Blue Shield of New Jersey, Humana and UnitedHealthcare.
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Mandan Girl, 4, Gets Donated Flight for Lung Transplant
By BLAIR EMERSON, Bismarck Tribune
usnews.com – MANDAN, N.D. (AP) — Danica Stockwell spent the majority of the first two and a half years of her life in hospitals. Medical personnel have been available to her. Now she is getting a donated flight to Houston so she can stay in the battle for her life.
The Bismarck Tribune reports that the 4-year-old Mandan girl has surfactant protein C deficiency-associated interstitial lung disease – a rare disease that requires her to be on oxygen 24 hours a day. The disease has progressed to the point where doctors are unable to do anything more for her, and she is waiting to be put on a list for a double-lung transplant.
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