NEW REPORT: Thousands of Iowans Facing Higher Health Insurance Premiums Next Year Thanks To Ashley Hinson
Hinson Repeatedly Voted Against ACA tax credits, Driving Up Healthcare Costs for Iowans
Des Moines Register: “Thousands of Iowans Will Likely See Their Health Insurance Premiums Rise Next Year […] The Result of the Expired Expanded Affordable Care Act Subsidies and Rising Medical Costs”
Des Moines Register: “The Hikes Also Come as Nearly a Fifth of Iowans with ACA Plans Dropped Their Coverage as of February Following January’s Expiration of Enhanced Subsidies”
DES MOINES – According to a new report from the Des Moines Register, thousands of Iowans could see their health insurance premiums skyrocket for the “second straight year” after Ashley Hinson voted to let ACA tax credits expire.
According to the report, Iowans will see average health insurance costs increase by up to 16.84%. The hikes also come after “nearly one-fifth of Iowans with ACA plans dropped their coverage” over the last year after Hinson voted to make it more expensive.
Hinson repeatedly voted against extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits, which would have prevented 100,000 Iowans from seeing their health insurance premiums double on average.
“At every turn, Ashley Hinson has voted to make healthcare more expensive for Iowans across the state,” said Iowa Democratic Party spokesperson Drew Myers. “Her actions have forced clinics to close, more than 100,000 Iowans are at-risk of losing their health insurance, and now thousands more are being priced out of their insurance. It’s simple: Iowans cannot afford Ashley Hinson.”
Missed the report? See below for key highlights:
Des Moines Register: Iowans will likely see ACA health insurance premiums rise again
- Thousands of Iowans will likely see their health insurance premiums rise next year after insurers in the state recently released proposed rate increases for 2027.
- These higher rates would mark the second straight year where some Iowans see double-digit premium hikes — the result of the expired expanded Affordable Care Act subsidies and rising medical costs.
- Premiums will see average increases of 4.98% to 16.84% across multiple Iowa insurers offering ACA-compliant individual plans next year, according to rates filed with the Iowa Insurance Division in June. The 2026 rate increases ranged from 12.5% to more than 25%.
- The hikes also come as nearly a fifth of Iowans with ACA plans dropped their coverage as of February following January’s expiration of enhanced subsidies, according to a KFF analysis.
- In their filings with the state, five Iowa insurance providers cite a myriad of reasons for rising rates, including increasing medical service costs and reimbursement rates to healthcare providers, more people seeking medical care, the expiration of expanded ACA premium tax credits and state and federal taxes and fees.
- The new enrollment numbers give a first look at how the expiration of expanded ACA premium tax credits impacted Iowa enrollees.
- Recently released federal data on ACA enrollment from February shows a 17% drop-off — roughly 21,000 fewer people —compared with the same time last year. In February 2025, 124,311 Iowans were covered by the ACA, compared with 103,253 last February.
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