As premiums soar, enrollment in Covered California is down

The AHS Index is a new way to look at data that illuminates a snapshot of our world today. It is intended to highlight health inequities and spark conversation, debate, and wonder.

Number of people who did not have health insurance before the Affordable Care Act (ACA) passed: 50 million

Percent decrease in the uninsured rate after the ACA was passed: 50%

Decrease in the uninsurance gap between Hispanic and white people between 2010 and 2023, which narrowed due to the ACA, an indication that the law improved health care access: 8.14

Decrease in the uninsurance gap between American Indian/Alaska Native and white people: 6.71

Decrease in the uninsurance gap between Asian and white people: 4.34

Increase in the uninsurance gap between Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander people and white people: 1.48

Decrease in the uninsurance gap between Black and white people: 3.59

Percent of adults under age 65 enrolled in ACA coverage who are either small business owners, self-employed or employed by a small business with fewer than 25 workers: 48%

Percent increase in cost that people who rely on ACA health plans will experience in 2026, due to expiring federal subsidies: 114%

Average amount of money that a person enrolled in an ACA health plan paid for insurance in 2025: $888

Average amount of money that a person enrolled in an ACA plan is expected to pay for health insurance in 2026: $1,904

Percent of people who said they would rather be uninsured than pay double their current health insurance premium, according to a KFF poll: 25%

Percent decline in new enrollees to Covered California, California's ACA marketplace, as of Jan. 3, 2025: -31%

Number of Californians who received health insurance coverage via Covered California in 2025: 1.6 million

Number of Alameda County residents who received health insurance coverage via Covered California in 2025: 82,150

Estimated number of people who rely on Medicaid who are expected to become uninsured by 2034, due to the Medicaid cuts in H.R.1: 10 million