Obamacare premiums double, adding post Halloween fright for US health insurance shoppers

Americans enrolling for 2026 Obamacare health insurance plans are facing an average premium hike of 114%, as temporary COVID-era subsidies are set to expire amid a month-long U.S. government shutdown. The lapse of these subsidies — which had doubled Affordable Care Act (ACA) enrollments to 24 million since 2021 — could push millions into the ranks of the uninsured if Congress fails to extend them.