Magazine advertisement for the 1946 film Deadline at Dawn Date	March 1946 publication Source	Photoplay for March 1946, page 9 Author	RKO Pictures

Two things are true as of today: 2026 ACA Open Enrollment has ended...and 2026 ACA Open Enrollment is still going on (in some states).

The official Open Enrollment Period ended yesterday at midnight across 41 states...but residents of the other 9 (plus DC) still have time to enroll for coverage starting February 1st.

USE THE DROPDOWN MENU ABOVE TO PICK A STATE.

9/29/25: Welcome Paul Krugman subscribers! I greatly appreciate the shoutout by him but should add the following clarification:

Regarding the chart below which he reposted comparing the original ACA subsidy scale to the current version: You probably think that if the enhanced subsidies expire it will revert back to the original version, which would be bad enough. In fact, however, the Trump Regime has also made THAT version even worse, like so:

I should also note that I've started cross-posting key entries at Substack as well.

 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services just published updated enrollment data for Medicare, adding October 2025 to the data archive.

Whether the data posted since January 20, 2025 is accurate or not, I can't say for certain, but at least they're updating it...and so far, at least, I don't see anything in their monthly reports which is setting off any obvious red flags.

In any event, according to the latest report, as of October 2025:

Yesterday I posted an update with details about Connecticut's new state-based subsidy program via Access Health CT, their state ACA exchange.

The bottom line is that Connecticut enrollees who earn between 100 - 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) will have 100% of the lost federal tax credits backfilled, while enrollees who earn between 400 - 500% FPL will have half (50%) of their lost subsidies covered:

The state subsidies are currently in place for one year. 

Here is a chart to show the annual income by household size for eligible groups:

via the MA Health Connector:

BOSTON—Massachusetts residents have just days remaining to get health insurance coverage through the Massachusetts Health Connector, including access to help paying for a plan through the ConnectorCare program, with the January 23 deadline looming.

Open Enrollment is the time of year when anyone who needs health insurance can get covered. The Health Connector provides access to commercial plans, and access to subsidies to help pay for those plans. While some federal funding through enhanced Premium Tax Credits has expired due to inaction by Congressional Republicans and President Trump, earlier this month, Governor Maura Healey announced an increased investment of $250 million by the state in the ConnectorCare program, making premiums more affordable for enrollees.

A few minutes ago I posted a press release from Pennie (Pennsylvania's state-based ACA exchange). The release mostly focuses on the upcoming final Open Enrollment Period deadline for February coverage in the Keystone State (January 31st), but it also includes a couple of depressing (if completely predictable) stats at the end:

Costs have risen by 102% for Pennie enrollees in 2026 due to the expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits. Congress has not extended these critical savings. To date, over 70,000 Pennsylvanians have dropped coverage as a result of the higher prices – nearly 1,000 a day for most of Open Enrollment. More information can be found at pennie.com/affordability.

I did indeed visit that link, where I found the following additional details (the data provided is as of January 20th...unfortunately they don't actually list the total 2026 plan selections anywhere for some reason):

via Pennie:

A Officials urge all Pennsylvanians without health coverage to visit pennie.com to get protected during the Open Enrollment Period.   

PENNSYLVANIA – January 22, 2026 – Time is running out to enroll in health coverage through Pennie for 2026. The Open Enrollment Period will close on January 31st, marking the final opportunity for Pennsylvanians to sign up for health insurance for the year ahead. Due to federal changes causing higher health plan costs, Pennie extended the Open Enrollment deadline to January 31st ensuring Pennsylvanians have additional time to review their options and secure coverage.  

Pennie, the Commonwealth’s official health insurance marketplace, is currently open at pennie.com and offers high-quality coverage options for individuals and families who do not have access to other health insurance. If you or someone you know does not currently have health coverage, this is the final time to act and visit pennie.com to explore your options to get enrolled.   

via Connect for Health Colorado:

Denver, Colo. – After five consecutive years of record growth, enrollment in health coverage through the state’s official health insurance marketplace for plan year 2026 dipped 2%, Connect for Health Colorado announced today.

Despite rising costs due to less federal financial assistance, 277,228 Coloradans enrolled in health insurance, with 69% of customers receiving financial help to lower the cost of their monthly premiums.

Technically, QHP selections ended up down 1.9% from last year's total of 282,481.

As of December 27th, Colorado was only down 0.9% y/y, once again underscoring my point about the WSJ massively jumping the gun.

via NV Health Link:

104,286 Nevadans Enrolled in Health Insurance During 2026 Plan Year Open Enrollment

More Nevadans actively engaged in their health coverage this year, with 10% enrolled in the new public option, known as the Battle Born State Plans

CARSON CITY, Nev. – Nevada Health Link’s Open Enrollment Period for Plan Year 2026 concluded on January 15 with 104,286 Nevadans enrolling in comprehensive health coverage through the state-based marketplace, including the new Battle Born State Plans, which accounted for 10% of total enrollments. Of the 104,286, there were 63,563 Nevadans who actively shopped, showing a 32% increase in engagement of active enrollments from last year’s Open Enrollment.

via Covered California's Open Enrollment Dashboard, as of January 17th:

  • New enrollments: 190,628
  • Active renewals: 518,380
  • Passive Autorenewals: 1,197,025
  • Total: 1,906,033

As of the same point last year (actually 1 day more; the data from last year is as of 1/18/25), Covered CA was reporting:

  • New enrollments: 278,335
  • Active renewals: 432,725
  • Passive/Autorenewals: 1,210,780
  • Total: 1,921,840

Overall, that means...

Pages

How to support my healthcare wonkery:

Advertisement