What Are the 2026 Changes to the Affordable Care Act?

For the past few years, extra federal funding in the Affordable Care Act has helped make health insurance more affordable for many Americans by lowering monthly premiums, by offering health insurance subsidies. This funding is currently set to end after 2025, unless it’s extended by Congress. If it's not, some people may see a change in their monthly premiums starting in 2026.

These changes will apply to all insurers, including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network. The amount of help you get from the government could go down or stop entirely. This means you could pay more out of pocket for your ACA Marketplace coverage. 

• Update your personal information. Log in to The Health Insurance Marketplace before Nov. 1, 2025 and confirm your information is up to date. If your income, household size or contact information have changed, it could affect how much help you qualify for, and raise or lower your monthly premiums. You can use this financial calculator to see an estimate of your potential costs for 2026.
• File your 2024 taxes. This step is required to keep getting available premium tax credits next year. If you haven’t filed yet for 2024, be sure to include IRS Form 8962, which will reconcile any health insurance subsidy you received.
• Log in to explore health care options and select your 2026 medical or dental plan. Starting Nov. 1, visit our Shop and Compare page or call us to confirm your 2026 health plan. Taking these steps will help make sure you get the savings you’re eligible for and avoid surprises when the new rules take effect.

If you don’t act during Open Enrollment, you could:

• Lose your financial assistance or ACA subsidy for 2026
• Experience a gap in coverage or interruption in care
• Be auto-renewed with a health plan with higher monthly costs or out-of-pocket expenses
• Miss the chance to explore new health plan options that may better fit your needs

We’re here to work with you to find the best coverage to meet your needs and budget.