About a month ago, I once again reiterated that the official year over year ACA Open Enrollment Period plan selection drop from OEP 2025 to OEP 2026, which currently stands at around 1.26 million people (23.06M in 2026 vs. 24.32M in 2025) was incredibly misleading for a number of reasons:
Not only are there always some people who never have their enrollment effectuated in the first place due to either the policyholder actively cancelling their policy before it even begins or having it terminated by the carrier due to them not paying their first monthly premium, but that effectuated enrollment can vary widely from month to month due to the "churn" of people either starting or ending exchange coverage.
Earlier this week the New Jersey Dept. of Banking & Insurance put out a press release with the final 2026 ACA Open Enrollment Period data for the state:
Enrollment Expected to Decline As Federal Changes Continue to Impact Affordability
TRENTON —More than 509,000 New Jersey residents enrolled in health insurance coverage for 2026 through Get Covered New Jersey, the state’s Official Health Insurance Marketplace, during the Open Enrollment Period. However, the state is cautioning that the full effect of the loss of federal subsidies has not impacted the marketplace yet and is predicting a material drop off in enrollment this Spring.
Expanded outreach and new financial assistance helped keep residents covered
HARTFORD, Conn. (Feb. 19, 2026) — Access Health CT (AHCT), Connecticut’s official health insurance marketplace, today announced a record number of Connecticut residents enrolled in health and dental insurance during the 2026 Open Enrollment Period, which began Nov. 1, 2025 and ended Jan. 31, 2026. This is the third year in a row AHCT has seen record-breaking enrollment.
A total of 157,246 people enrolled in a Qualified Health Plan (QHP) during the 2026 Open Enrollment Period, compared to 151,151 at the end of the Open Enrollment Period in 2025. This year’s enrollment broke last year’s record by 4%.
Included in that number are 51,629 residents enrolled in the Covered CT Program, compared to 41,165 during the Open Enrollment Period last year. Covered CT provides no-cost coverage for eligible residents. The State of Connecticut pays the consumer portion of premiums and cost-sharing.
Key Insurers Expect To Lose Nearly 3M Combined ACA Enrollee By End Of 2026
Key publicly traded insurers reported in recent earnings calls that they expect to lose nearly 3 million enrollees combined by the end of 2026, buoying stakeholders’ fear that the loss of the enhanced tax credits will drive more people from the marketplace than the 1 million fewer signups reported by CMS
While CMS’ mid-January snapshot showed that about 1 million fewer people enrolled in an Affordable Care Act plan during open enrollment compared to last year, insurers in recent earnings calls are echoing state exchange officials’ belief that true results will take time, and four large companies reveal they expect at least 2.8 million fewer ACA exchange consumers.
Also, in line with comments from state exchange officials, carriers are seeing more consumers enrolled in less-expensive bronze plans, which have higher co-pays and deductibles.
OLYMPIA, Wash. – More than 290,000 Washingtonians selected a plan...
...40,000 fewer Washingtonians are receiving premium tax credits in 2026 than 2025. Some customers saw significant increases in their health insurance premiums, resulting in more than 61,000 customers changing their plans.
Customers also canceled their coverage more than any year prior — more than 28,000 in 2026 compared to just over 20,000 in 2025. Based on higher costs, it is expected that even more customers will disenroll before final counts are published in spring.
...Preliminary numbers show that more than 119,000 Washingtonians are receiving Cascade Care Savings and more than 188,000 are receiving federal premium tax credits.
One in Five Pennie Enrollees Drop Health Coverage Due to Expired Federal Tax Credits
High demand seen for quality affordable coverage during Open Enrollment Period.
Harrisburg, PA – Pennie, Pennsylvania’s official health insurance marketplace, concluded its 2026 Open Enrollment Period with enrollment totaling around 486,000 and with adverse effects from unprecedented cost increases. A doubling of premium costs caused around 85,000 Pennsylvanians to drop coverage, meaning that nearly 1 in 5 enrollees were unable to keep their health plan for 2026.
CoverME.gov is Maine's state-based health insurance marketplace, administered by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Health Insurance Marketplace. The 2026 Open Enrollment period recently ended, during which individuals and families were able to compare and enroll in private health insurance plans and determine eligibility for financial assistance.
Preliminary data from the 2026 Open Enrollment period indicate several emerging trends in Maine's individual health insurance market. While many Mainers enrolled in coverage through CoverME.gov, early indicators point to declining enrollment and increased affordability pressures that may affect coverage stability for consumers and the broader health insurance system.
Limited-time marketplace transition year Special Enrollment Period
This year, with the multitude of unique factors impacting access and affordability, Get Covered Illinois is using its authority as a state-based marketplace to offer a limited-time Special Enrollment Period for customers previously enrolled in a 2025 health plan through HealthCare.gov.
Who Qualifies for this Special Enrollment Period?
To qualify for this limited-time Special Enrollment Period, the enrollee must:
have been automatically renewed in a 2026 health plan through Get Covered Illinois, and
have not made an active plan selection or terminated/canceled their coverage during this past Open Enrollment Period, and
have not claimed their Get Covered Illinois account by February 1, 2026.
How long is this Special Enrollment Period available?
