Nearly 500,000 Pennsylvanians could be facing sharp increases in their health insurance costs next year as the federal assistance that has been helping keep premiums affordable is now coming to an end, write Ryan Deto, Isaac Avilucea, and Sabrina Moreno for AXIOS Philadelphia.
As open enrollment for Pennsylvania’s health insurance marketplace starts on Saturday, the state estimates that nearly 150,000 people may choose to drop their plans due to rising costs.
Affordable Care Act tax credits are at the center of the government shutdown. Democrats linked the extension of those federal subsidies, which reduce monthly costs for marketplace enrollees, to budget negotiations. Republicans opposed the measure, and the clash over these positions led to the government shutdown.
Without the tax credits, monthly plan costs are expected to surge, rising an average of 102 percent statewide in 2026. This figure includes the projected 21.5 percent increase in premiums for the coming year.
Pennsylvania’s rural counties are expected to be hardest hit if the tax credits are not extended.
In Philadelphia County, monthly premiums are projected to rise by an average of $137 should the tax credits expire by the end of the year. Collar counties will see a monthly increase between $126 to $140.
Read more about the rising health insurance costs and the concerns surrounding it in AXIOS Philadelphia.
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on PHILADELPHIA Today in November 2025.
