Published: August 21, 2019
The Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare, has increased health care premiums in the individual market. Many insurers have stopped offering health insurance plans because they were losing money. As a result, competition and choice in the marketplace has fallen.
Additional Resources
Podcasts
Hoover Institution fellow Tom Church talks with Jared Rhoads of the Center for Modern Health about why American health insurance pays for routine and predictable care, and how state coverage mandates push premiums higher.
October 23, 2026
Articles
We asked Medicare policy experts to write up proposals that save taxpayers ~$100 billion over ten years. Here’s what they came up with.
October 20, 2026
Essays
General revenue now funds about half of Medicare. This brief proposes replacing Medicare Part B’s five IRMAA (Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount) premium tiers with a linear ramp that ends the taxpayer subsidy at $250,000 of income for single seniors and $500,000 for couples. The reform raises up to $113 billion over 10 years, removes premium cliffs to smooth out marginal tax rates, and leaves premiums unchanged for roughly 90% of Part B enrollees.
October 20, 2026
