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| A man may smile, and smile (sort of)... |
Multiple Republican senators and House reps, psyching themselves up for electoral suicide, are sharing this messaging from the Koch-funded Paragon Health Institute, where virtually all their ACA-related talking points originate:
There are of course lies, damned lies, statistics, and Koch-funded talking points designed to strip Americans of healthcare access to help fund tax cuts for the wealthy.
Look at the mid-section of Johnson chart above, from 2018 to 2025 (there should be a sharp spike from 2017 to 2018, but never mind). There is barely any premium increase in that long stretch, during which average premiums for employer-sponsored insurance rose far more quickly. Here is the comparison in the National Health Estimate Accounts, published in June of this year (see Table 17 in NHE Projections - Tables, here)
From 2018 through 2023, the last year for which the NHE has data, premiums in the individual market (“direct purchase” above) were up 13% — while premiums in the employer-sponsored market rose 29%. From 2023-2025, average ACA benchmark silver premiums rose 9% (from $456/month to $497/month), while average ESI premiums rose 11% (from $8,435/year to $9,325/year) for single coverage according to KFF’s annual employer benefits survey. As of 2025, ESI premiums remained considerably higher than marketplace premiums, though the difference is probably in line with differences in network quality and actuarial value (a measure of the level of out-of-pocket exposure).
