BOISE, Idaho — Idaho became the first state in the nation to open its health care enrollment window Wednesday, allowing residents to begin shopping for 2026 coverage through Your Health Idaho, the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace.
For many Idahoans, this year’s enrollment comes with news of higher costs. The Idaho Department of Insurance says average health insurance premiums will increase about 10 percent – among the smaller average increases reported nationally.
WATCH: Idaho opens health care enrollment as premiums rise about 10%.
“On average, [rates] will go up by 10%. That’s really probably one of the lowest in the country as far as increases,” said Dean Cameron, director of the Idaho Department of Insurance.
That 10 percent figure is only an average. Some plans will see smaller increases, while others could rise higher depending on the carrier and coverage level.
Cameron said while some states are seeing spikes as high as 30 percent, Idaho has managed to keep rates relatively flat for the past five years. He credits greater competition, with several new insurance carriers joining the state exchange in recent years.
Even so, he said, the increases reflect a national trend of rising medical and hospital costs driven by inflation.
“When those costs go up, then that gets passed along through your insurance to the consumers,” Cameron said. “And so we make the carriers justify their increase.”
For many Idahoans, the rate hike could be softened by the Affordable Care Act’s premium tax credit, which helps lower monthly payments. But the future of those boosted subsidies remains uncertain as Congress debates federal spending amid the ongoing government shutdown.
“One of the issues Congress is debating about or fighting about with the shutdown is the enhanced premium tax credit,” Cameron said.
The pandemic-era expansion of those ACA tax credits helped make coverage more affordable but is set to expire next year unless Congress votes to extend them.
Idaho’s Department of Insurance encourages residents to contact the department to review their options and understand how federal subsidy changes could affect what they pay out of pocket.
Open enrollment runs through Dec. 15. Residents can compare plans and apply for coverage at YourHealthIdaho.org.
