Consumer search trends signal growing cost pressure in health insurance

As web medical health insurance premiums within the Market have jumped by a median of almost 60% nationally as a result of expiration of federal subsidy enhancements, many shoppers have been reassessing what protection they’ll afford – or whether or not they can afford protection in any respect.

One of many clearest alerts of that rising anxiousness isn’t coming simply from enrollment knowledge or coverage evaluation. It’s exhibiting up in what individuals are trying to find on-line, significantly in relation to the price of medical health insurance.

A healthinsurance.org evaluation of greater than 5 years of Google Tendencies knowledge reveals a pointy spike in affordability-related searches in 2025, adopted by continued development in early 2026. Searches associated to the price of medical health insurance, lower-cost protection choices, subsidies, and even the implications of going with out insurance coverage surged as shoppers grapple with rising prices.

Taken collectively, these traits recommend a significant shift in how shoppers are approaching well being protection in immediately’s higher-cost atmosphere.

Key findings at a look

Google Tendencies knowledge displays relative search curiosity over time, providing a real-time view into what shoppers are actively Googling. Between 2024 and 2025, search curiosity for:

• “value of medical health insurance” elevated about 54%
• “bronze well being plan” elevated about 75%
• “catastrophic medical health insurance” elevated about 71%
• “low cost medical health insurance” and “low value medical health insurance” surged 48% to multi-year highs
• “Do you get penalized for not having medical health insurance?” elevated 65%.

These queries didn’t fade when open enrollment resulted in January 2026. Between January and March, when many shoppers confronted their first premium funds of the yr, search curiosity accelerated. In comparison with earlier winters, for instance, search curiosity in “low cost medical health insurance” sharply elevated over 160%.

See the findings beneath.

Why shoppers’ curiosity in medical health insurance prices surged

Through the open enrollment interval for 2026 Market well being protection, some clear traits emerged at the side of the expiration of federal premium subsidy enhancements: Fewer folks enrolled, and extra folks chosen Bronze plans, which have decrease premiums however greater out-of-pocket prices. And even with these modifications, common web (after-subsidy) premiums grew by 58%, going from $113/month in 2025 to $178/month in 2026.

So it’s not stunning that there has additionally been a big enhance in on-line search curiosity round medical health insurance prices and lower-premium protection choices in 2025 and 2026.

The price of medical health insurance is inflicting shopper anxiousness

In early 2026, search curiosity in “value of medical health insurance” was greater than double what it had been on the similar time in 2025, and search curiosity in “well being care subsidy” had almost tripled. This is smart given the expiration of federal premium subsidy enhancements on the finish of 2025, and the anxiousness this may increasingly have brought on for shoppers.

If all Market enrollees had renewed their 2025 plans for 2026, common web premiums had been projected to extend by 114%. This brought on important sticker shock when folks received their renewal notices final fall. As an alternative of renewing, many shoppers opted to downgrade to a plan with a decrease premium or drop their protection altogether, leading to web premiums “solely” rising by 58%.

The unlucky actuality is that the majority 2026 Market enrollees had been confronted with greater premiums, greater out-of-pocket prices, or each. In consequence, a current KFF survey discovered that greater than half of returning Market enrollees are decreasing their spending on meals or primary home goods in order that they’ll afford their medical health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket prices.

Market protection ‘downgrades’ had been widespread as shoppers looked for ‘low cost medical health insurance’

There has additionally been a spike in search curiosity associated to Bronze and Catastrophic well being plans, in addition to “low cost” and “low-cost” medical health insurance. That is all indicative of the stress that buyers are feeling in relation to the month-to-month premiums they’re paying, and their efforts to seek out lower-cost protection choices.

Sadly, lower-cost choices typically imply greater out-of-pocket prices. And that’s a best-case situation that assumes an individual continues to have ACA-compliant protection. An individual who switches from a Silver Market plan to a Bronze or Catastrophic Market plan can have greater out-of-pocket prices, however they’ll nonetheless have the ACA’s shopper protections, together with protection for pre-existing situations and important well being advantages.

However we all know that 1.2 million fewer folks enrolled in Market plans for 2026. A few of these folks may need moved to different ACA-compliant protection, similar to an employer’s well being plan. However some are possible uninsured altogether in 2026, whereas others may need opted for non-ACA-compliant insurance coverage and even “protection” that isn’t truly insurance coverage, similar to well being care sharing ministry plans or Farm Bureau plans.

Bronze plans turned rather more in style with Market enrollees in 2026, rising from about 30% of enrollments in 2025 to about 40% of enrollments in 2026.

On the similar time, Silver plan alternatives dropped considerably, going from 56% of enrollments in 2025 to 43% in 2026.

And whereas Gold plan alternatives elevated barely, from 13% of enrollments in 2025 to 17% in 2026, it’s value noting that in lots of circumstances this was nonetheless a protection downgrade, if the particular person beforehand had a Silver plan with sturdy cost-sharing reductions.

It’s because for these with revenue that doesn’t exceed 200% of the federal poverty stage, a Silver plan offers rather more strong advantages than a Gold plan. However in lots of states, Gold plans have decrease premiums than Silver plans.

This helps to clarify why some enrollees switched from Silver plans to Gold plans (or Bronze plans) in an effort to scale back premiums, regardless of giving up cost-sharing reductions to take action: Throughout all Market enrollees, 51% had been receiving CSR advantages in 2025, and that dropped to 37% in 2026. CSR advantages are solely out there on Silver plans, so shoppers who’re CSR-eligible are forfeiting that profit in the event that they choose a non-Silver plan.

Searches for ‘catastrophic medical health insurance’

Even though the Trump administration took steps to develop entry to Catastrophic plans within the fall of 2025, Catastrophic plans accounted for simply 0.3% of all Market plan alternatives in 2026, up solely barely from about 0.2% in 2025. Catastrophic plans aren’t out there in any respect in 14 states, are solely supplied by some (however not all) Market insurers in most different states, and may by no means be bought with premium tax credit. So whereas they’re absolutely ACA-compliant, they nonetheless make up only a tiny sliver of Market enrollment.

However it’s additionally value stating that whereas “Catastrophic medical health insurance” has a particular definition underneath the ACA, shoppers had been utilizing this time period to explain low cost “naked bones” protection lengthy earlier than the ACA. Search curiosity in “catastrophic medical health insurance” grew significantly in 2025 and 2026, and though some folks utilizing this search phrase could be in search of ACA-compliant protection, others could be in search of lower-cost plans that aren’t ACA-compliant.

Growing curiosity in high-deductible well being plans

Search curiosity associated to high-deductible well being plans has been steadily climbing in recent times, reaching new highs in 2025 and early 2026. As is the case with “catastrophic medical health insurance,” the time period “high-deductible well being plan” (HDHP) has a particular definition. These plans are regulated by the IRS, and enrollees are allowed to make pre-tax contributions to a well being financial savings account. However shoppers who’re doing on-line searches might or might not know that, and would possibly merely be in search of lower-cost protection.

In 2026, for the primary time, all Bronze and Catastrophic Market plans are thought-about HDHPs, that means enrollees in these plans could make HSA contributions. For enrollees who’re prepared and ready to take action, this might have important tax benefits, and will clarify why some folks opted to change to those plans, regardless of the upper out-of-pocket prices.

However gaining access to an HSA doesn’t essentially imply that an individual will make the most of that possibility. Opening an HSA and making contributions to it are elective. And whereas the vast majority of folks enrolled in employer-sponsored HDHPs obtain HSA contributions from their employer, most individuals with HDHPs bought within the particular person market should make their very own HSA contributions.

How a lot will Market enrollment drop in 2026?

Though Market plan alternatives throughout open enrollment dropped by about 1.2 million folks in 2026 in contrast with the yr earlier than, that doesn’t account for individuals who may not have paid their preliminary premiums to effectuate their protection. Nor does it account for folks whose protection was terminated on the finish of a grace interval because of non-payment of premiums.

A Wakely evaluation that lined about 80% of the person market discovered that 86% of the individuals who chosen a plan through the open enrollment interval for 2026 (together with these whose protection was auto-renewed) paid their January premium. The opposite 14% contains some folks whose protection didn’t get effectuated, and others who had been in a grace interval and should or might not have paid their past-due premiums by the top of that grace interval.

However total, the Wakely evaluation initiatives that “common enrollment within the particular person market might shrink 17% to 26% in 2026 in comparison with 2025 common enrollment.”

A KFF evaluation of returning Market enrollees discovered that just about one in 5 reported being uncertain they’ll have the ability to proceed to pay their month-to-month premiums all through 2026. So it’s not stunning that on-line search curiosity in whether or not there’s a penalty for going with out medical health insurance elevated a lot in 2025 and early 2026. Some folks have already given up their protection (plan alternatives throughout open enrollment dropped by about 1.2 million folks in contrast with 2025), and others are uncertain whether or not they’ll have the ability to keep their protection all through 2026.

Though the Wakely evaluation provides some good clues about early effectuated enrollment, it would possible be no less than mid-2026 earlier than we’ve official nationwide numbers from CMS when it comes to how many individuals had effectuated Market protection as of February 2026. The effectuated enrollment quantity is at all times decrease than the variety of plan alternatives made throughout open enrollment.

However the first effectuated enrollment report received’t mirror the variety of insurance policies that lapsed on the finish of March when their three-month grace interval ended. Nor will it mirror individuals who had been capable of make their preliminary premium funds however weren’t capable of proceed to make these funds later within the yr.

In order insurers begin to put together charges and plans for subsequent yr, it stays to be seen how many individuals can have individual-market protection as we head into 2027.

A spike in searches about going with out protection

Shopper search curiosity in whether or not there’s a penalty for not having medical health insurance grew considerably in 2025 and the early a part of 2026. This corresponds with a drop in Market enrollment: 24.3 million folks chosen Market plans for 2025, and that dropped to 23.1 million for 2026. So it is smart that extra folks would possibly need to be taught extra in regards to the ramifications of going with out medical health insurance.

Be aware: There hasn’t been a federal penalty for being uninsured since 2018, however DC and 4 states do impose a penalty.

What to do if you happen to’re battling medical health insurance prices

If medical health insurance feels unaffordable in 2026, you’re actually not alone. Learn extra about what to do if you happen to’re feeling premium sticker shock, and what you are able to do if you happen to can’t afford medical health insurance and aren’t eligible for Medicaid.

Shopper search traits sign rising value stress in medical health insurance