- Posted February 27, 2026
New Obamacare Rules Could Raise Deductibles to $31K For Families
The Trump administration is introducing new rules for Obamacare plans that could lower monthly premiums — but there's a catch.
They raise how much people pay out of pocket when they need care.
Under the proposed rules, some Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans would allow annual deductibles of more than $15,000 for one person and $31,000 for a family.
A deductible is the amount you must pay before insurance starts covering most medical costs.
That individual deductible would be eight times higher than the average deductible for workers with job-based insurance.
Supporters say the plans would give people more choices and help keep monthly premiums lower.
“The goal is simple: lower costs, more choice and exchanges that work as intended,” said Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which oversees the Obamacare markets.
Joel White advises Republicans on health policy issues. He told The New York Times that the administration “did what it could within the confines of the statute to increase consumers’ choice, try to keep premiums low.”
But critics warn the plans could leave people exposed to large medical bills.
“Nobody wants that product,” Amitabh Chandra, a Harvard health economist who studies high-deductible plans, said. “It’s going to be a really cheap product that nobody wants.”
The proposal would focus on so-called catastrophic plans, also known as “skinny” policies. These policies usually have low monthly premiums but very high deductibles.
While these plans may work for young, healthy folks, a trip to the emergency room or a hospital stay could cost thousands of dollars before insurance kicks in.
People with chronic conditions could end up paying much, if not most, of their care out of pocket.
“There’s no doubt that we have an affordability crisis,” Dr. Joseph Betancourt, president of the Commonwealth Fund, which finances health care research, told The Times. “As we move forward to shifting more of the burden to patients, there’s a chance to really exacerbate the crisis.”
The administration’s proposal would also:
Let insurance companies sell multiyear policies
Allow plans without a set network of doctors and hospitals
Remove adult dental care from the list of essential benefits
Make enrollment harder in some cases
Plans without networks would pay a fixed amount for services. If a doctor charges more than that amount, patients would have to pay the difference.
“It is not going to work as insurance as most people understand it, and what most people are looking for,” said Katie Keith, a health policy and law expert at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
More than 1 million people have already dropped Obamacare coverage this year, many after enhanced subsidies expired. For some folks, monthly premiums doubled.
The administration’s own estimates say the new rules could result in up to 2 million people losing coverage in 2027.
Some Republicans argue that high-deductible plans encourage people to shop around for lower-cost care. They believe consumers should control what doctors and hospitals they go to.
“It is hugely pro-consumer,” White said.
Experts warn that if these cheaper plans become the benchmark for subsidies, people who want traditional plans with established networks could receive less financial help and pay more.
More information
You can learn more about the Affordable Care Act at HealthCare.gov.
SOURCE: The New York Times, Feb. 26, 2026
