The preliminary numbers are in, and Florida saw the most people of any state stop getting their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act.
More than 260,000 fewer Floridians now get their health coverage through the ACA, according to data released Monday by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Thursday was the open enrollment deadline in most states for coverage starting Feb. 1. Beginning Friday, you can enroll in or change plans only if you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period.
Even though the numbers aren't final, the drop reflects concerns after Congress failed to approve extended subsidies for plans beginning with the new year, leading to sharp premium increases for tens of thousands of people in Florida and around the country.
Florida still has more people on the exchange than any other state. About 4.5 million residents signed up for a plan this year, according to CMS. That's a decrease of 5.5%.
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Nationally, around 800,000 fewer people have selected plans compared with a similar time last year, marking a 3.5% drop in total enrollment so far. That includes a decrease in both new consumers signing up for ACA plans and existing enrollees reupping them.
The report indicates almost 20 million people who bought plans were returning patients and 2.8 million new enrollees signed up across Healthcare.gov and all the state exchanges.
Almost 23 million Americans signed up for health plans that took effect Jan. 1, with 43 states saw enrollment drop compared with last year.
A record-breaking 24.3 million people signed up across the country for coverage in 2025.
Monday's data includes sign-ups through Jan. 3 in states that use Healthcare.gov for ACA plans and through Dec. 27 for states that have their own ACA marketplaces. Florida does not have a state exchange and instead participates in the federal plans.
The debate over expiring COVID-era expanded subsidies to help people pay premiums was at the heart of the longest federal government shutdown in October. Democrats wanted to continue the tax credits while Republicans refused, insisting the issue should be discussed after reopening the government.
Spending bills were approved and the government reopened in mid-November, however, any effort to extend the tax credits failed, and they ran out at the end of the year.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
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