Washington: WA wraps up 2026 ACA Open Enrollment w/290K enrollees, down 6% y/y w/far more cancellations expected

via the Washington HealthBenefit Exchange:

Open enrollment through Washington Healthplanfinder ends, with federal actions and lapsed tax credits creating uncertainty and higher costs

Open enrollment concluded Jan. 15 with a record number of Washingtonians receiving Cascade Care Savings

OLYMPIA, Wash. – More than 290,000 Washingtonians selected a plan for 2026 health and dental insurance through Washington Healthplanfinder during open enrollment. Washington Health Benefit Exchange runs Washington Healthplanfinder, the state’s online marketplace for Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance.

Expiring enhanced premium tax credits (ePTCs) increased many people’s monthly costs. Around 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.

“Federal policy changes are creating a health care affordability crisis in our state. With the passage of H.R. 1 and the expiration of the federal enhanced premium tax credits, many of our customers experienced a doubling or tripling of premiums this year and faced hard decisions about whether or not to stay covered,” Exchange CEO Ingrid Ulrey said, “This would all have been much worse without effective state mitigation efforts, including Cascade Care Savings, our state premium assistance program, and an emergency rule issued by Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer.”

While available federal tax credits were reduced for 2026, the majority of Washingtonians who applied still qualified for some savings. Cascade Care Savings and Cascade Care plans continue to help Washingtonians afford high quality health insurance. 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.

The Exchange will not have the full picture of enrollment data until the spring as many people will drop coverage in the months to come. Customers have 30 days to pay their first premium and to make decisions about whether to continue to pay high premiums due to the expiration of ePTCs. Many customers shared their financial concerns with the Exchange and were unsure if they could keep their higher priced health plans going forward.

During the 2025 Open Enrollment Period, 308,227 WA residents selected exchange policies, which means net enrollments are already down 5.9% y/y before any of the additional terminations noted above happen.

Once again, the Wall St. Journal is full of crap.