Sticker shock is already showing up in the ObamaCare numbers. Federal data released Monday show about 22.8 million people signed up for Affordable Care Act coverage effective Jan. 1, roughly 1.4 million fewer than at the same point last year, the New York Times reports. That's about a 6% decline from the 24.2 million enrolled by mid-January 2025, and officials say the drop could grow as people are billed for pricier plans and choose to walk away.
The main driver: enhanced subsidies brought in during the pandemic have lapsed, sharply raising what many enrollees owe. On average, the end of those enhanced subsidies has roughly doubled out-of-pocket premiums, according to federal estimates. The Congressional Budget Office projects about 2 million more people will go without insurance this year as a result, while some outside analysts predict even greater coverage losses.
In Washington, there is broad concern but no agreement, the Times reports. The House has approved a bill to extend the more generous subsidies, but an identical measure has already failed in the Senate. A bipartisan Senate group is trying to craft a scaled-back extension with tighter limits, though details and its chances of passage remain uncertain.
President Trump has sent mixed signals. His administration floated an extension of the subsidies in November, and he recently urged Republicans to show flexibility on abortion-related provisions tied to the talks, suggesting openness to a deal. On Sunday, however, he told reporters that he might veto a bill to extend subsidies, reports Reuters. Consumers have until Thursday to pick plans starting Feb. 1; after that, open enrollment on the federal marketplace closes for most people until next year unless Congress intervenes.
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