With the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced premium tax credits set to expire at the end of this year, Gov. Andy Beshear is calling on Congress to act and protect affordable coverage for Kentuckians.
Earlier this month, Beshear and 17 other governors sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging them to extend the credits.
“Rising costs for everyday needs are hurting Kentuckians, and I am committed to raising my voice and taking action to help,” Beshear said. “I believe health care is a basic human right, and we should expand access, not make it more difficult to afford. Between the ‘big, ugly bill’ taking aim at our health-care system and the threat of these credits expiring, quality health care is going to be out of reach for most families – and that’s just wrong. It’s time for Congress to act by prioritizing people over politics and extending these essential tax credits.”
Insurance rate filings for 2026 are now available for individual and small group health insurance plans, including kynect. Roughly 97,000 Kentuckians with individual market plans could see higher rates, a number that may rise if more people lose Medicaid eligibility and move to the private market.
The filings show steep increases starting in January. Insurance companies are required to submit annual rates to the Department of Insurance, which reviews them to ensure they are fair and financially sound. Nationwide, the average Affordable Care Act marketplace rate increase is 20%, according to a Peterson KFF analysis.
Insurers cited rising hospital and doctor costs, general inflation, labor expenses, and specialty drug prices as driving the increases.
Most kynect enrollees receive income-based enhanced premium tax credits. These credits expire at the end of 2025 and were not included in the latest federal budget. Without them, combined with higher rates, out-of-pocket costs could climb by as much as 75% for ACA plans, Peterson KFF warned.
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