Enhanced ACA subsidies have ended: what self-employed workers need to know for 2026
If your ACA Marketplace premium jumped this year, you're not imagining it. The enhanced premium subsidies introduced during the pandemic expired on December 31, 2025. Regular income-based subsidies are still around, but the larger enhanced amounts are gone, and self-employed people are feeling it the most, because they pay the full premium themselves.
What actually changed
The enhanced premium tax credits that lowered Marketplace costs ended after the 2025 plan year. Standard, income-based subsidies are still in place, but for a lot of independent workers the math is less favorable than it used to be. Many 1099 and self-employed enrollees saw higher net premiums for 2026 as a result.
What it means for you
If you were counting on enhanced subsidies, your real cost could be meaningfully higher in 2026. This is the year to re-run your numbers instead of auto-renewing, and to put your post-subsidy Marketplace price up against alternatives built for independent workers.
Your options now
- Re-shop the Marketplace. Check your real 2026 price after any subsidy you still qualify for, rather than assuming last year's number carries over.
- Compare an independent-worker plan like Molli. Molli offers transparent, flat-rate pricing (save up to 30% compared with ACA marketplace plans¹), nationwide PPO network access, and $0 virtual primary care and generic prescriptions through Vitable, without the subsidy guessing game.
- Check a spouse's plan, if one is available to you.
What to do before the deadline
Open enrollment for 2027 Marketplace coverage runs November 1 to December 15, 2026, which is shorter than in past years. Whatever you decide, do it inside that window unless you have a qualifying life event. Molli, for its part, enrolls year-round.
FAQ
- Did ACA subsidies go away completely?
- No. The enhanced pandemic-era subsidies expired at the end of 2025. Regular income-based subsidies still exist, but many people's net premiums rose in 2026.
- What can self-employed people do about higher 2026 premiums?
- Re-shop the Marketplace at your real post-subsidy price, compare an independent-worker plan like Molli, and check a spouse's plan if you have that option, then decide during open enrollment (November 1 to December 15, 2026).
¹ Savings vary by location, age, and plan selection. Based on comparison of Molli Pro plan rates to ACA Silver benchmark premiums.