Thank you so much! I'm glad it's helpful!

As @louisenorris.bsky.social explains, tax-deductible contributions to Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) or Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) can cut down your MAGI income, and if you're self-employed you can also deduct a portion of the premiums themselves.

www.healthinsurance.org/faqs/how-mig...

I agree it's a conundrum. Tagging a few folks who might have other thoughts on this. @cynthiaccox.bsky.social @larrylevitt.bsky.social @kgmom219.bsky.social

If Congress were to eventually extend the subsidy enhancements at some point in 2026 and you became newly eligible for subsidies at that point, it would trigger a Marketplace special enrollment period. But it would not necessarily trigger an employer SEP to let you drop the ICHRA.

It sounds like what you have is an ICHRA, which employers can choose to offer to retirees. People who take an ICHRA benefit are not eligible for Marketplace subsidies: www.healthinsurance.org/glossary/ind...

To be clear, I'm referring to full-price individual market plans. But people with employer-sponsored coverage are also seeing increases.

Yes, the nationwide average increase for people paying full price is about 26%, which is the largest we've seen in several years. (Part of the reason for the large rate increases is the expiring subsidy enhancements, as insurers know that will result in fewer healthy people enrolled.)

The Marketplace websites have filters you can use, and one of them will filter the results so that you only see HSA-eligible plans. In past years, that filter would generally only show a few plans, or zero in some areas. For 2026, it will show all Bronze plans (plus others in some areas)

Here's more about HSAs: www.healthinsurance.org/other-covera...

The maximum you can contribute to an HSA in 2026 is $4,400 if you have self-only HDHP coverage, and $8,750 if the plan also covers at least one other family member.
And yes, you can open an HSA on your own, through a bank or investment brokerage, and contribute as long as you have an HDHP.

Before 2026, most Bronze Marketplace plans are not HDHPs. But starting in 2026, all Bronze Marketplace plans will be HDHPs, by definition: www.healthinsurance.org/blog/one-big... (also catastrophic plans, but those aren't subsidy-eligible).