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It's open en season for the 20 million Americans who buy their own health insurance prices this year.

They're through the roof.

That's putting it mildly.

You've been telling us how your rates are changing.

Hi, my name is Barb, and I'm from Bellevue, Minnesota.

And for health care premiums for 2026, the same plan, which I'm paying 474 a month for this year,

is going to be $747 a month for 2026. I ended up going with the cheaper plan. The cheapest available to me was $590 a month for an $8,500 deductible. Yeah, like we said before, grab a chair. Rates are up an average

of 30% for a typical plan in the 30 states where the federal

government manages health insurance marketplaces. In states that run their own markets,

rates are up an average of 17%. That's according to an analysis from the health policy research

group, KFF. Meanwhile, the longest government shut down in history

continues in Washington. Republicans so far won't discuss extending subsidies that make health

insurance more affordable. Democrats won't agree to a deal unless health care costs are on the

table. So that's where we're at. Without those subsidies, the Congressional Budget

Office estimates that more than 2 million people could lose access to health insurance entirely.

How did health insurance get so expensive in the first place? And who stands to benefit from

higher costs now? We've got those questions and so much more. After the break,

I'm Todd's Willick in for Jen White. You're listening to the 1A podcast. Back with more in just a moment.

Support for NPR and the following message comes from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

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