Overview
- CMS reports 22.8 million plan selections through early January—about 3% fewer than the same point last year—as many consumers face sharply higher premiums after enhanced tax credits expired; most states close enrollment Jan. 15.
- The House passed a three-year extension of the enhanced credits, but the bill faces an uncertain Senate path and President Donald Trump has signaled a possible veto.
- Analyses from KFF indicate average out-of-pocket premiums for subsidized enrollees would more than double in 2026 without restored credits, driving affordability concerns.
- State marketplaces report elevated drop-offs and shifts to cheaper, high-deductible bronze plans, with Virginia, Idaho and Massachusetts seeing roughly double the terminations and Pennsylvania exceeding 70,000 cancellations.
- Illinois, now running its own Get Covered Illinois exchange, extended its open enrollment deadline to Jan. 31 for coverage starting Feb. 1, leveraging state control to give residents more time.