ACA marketplace plans seek double digit rate increases for 2026, WSJ says

Insurers are seeing large 2026 rate increases for Affordable Care Act, ACA, marketplace plans, with Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Illinois wanting a 27% hike and Blue Cross plan in Texas asking for a 21% increase, Anna Wiled Matthews of The Wall Street Journal reports. The companies say the increases are due to the higher healthcare costs and changing federal policy, including subsidy cuts. Research done by nonprofit KFF showed some of the largest national ACA players, including Centene (CNC) and Elevance Health (ELV), are seeking double-digit increases across several states. Publicly traded companies in the space include CVS Health (CVS), Cigna (CI), Humana (HUM), Molina Healthcare (MOH) and UnitedHealth (UNH).