HARTFORD, Conn. (Oct. 30, 2025) — Access Health CT (AHCT), Connecticut’s official health insurance marketplace, today announced it will hold several enrollment fairs in November to help Connecticut residents shop, compare and enroll in health or dental coverage. They can also renew their coverage. Enrollment fairs are one-day events for customers to get in-person help from experts. The fairs will take place in Danbury, Manchester, Norwalk, Norwich, New London, Stratford and Willimantic. All help is free.
Open Enrollment begins Nov. 1, 2025 and ends Jan. 15, 2026.
When you enroll affects when your coverage starts. If customers enroll on or before Dec. 15, 2025, coverage will start Jan. 1, 2026. If they enroll between Dec. 16, 2025 and Jan. 15, 2026, coverage will begin Feb. 1, 2026.
Denver, Colo.– Health insurance premiums will increase for many people who buy health insurance through Colorado’s official marketplace and fewer customers in 2026 will qualify for financial help to offset those costs, according to a new analysis from Connect for Health Colorado, the state’s official health insurance marketplace. Most of the cost increase is the result of Congress allowing federal enhanced Premium Tax Credits (ePTCs) to expire.
Connect for Health Colorado’s analysis is based on the Colorado Division of Insurance’s announcement of final health insurance premium rates for plan year 2026, and reflects the expiration of ePTCs and the benefit of the introduction of Colorado Premium Assistance, which will reduce premiums for some customers.
On Monday I noted that around 20 state-based ACA exchange websites had launched 2026 Open Enrollment "window shopping," which allows residents to plug in their household information (zip code, ages, income, etc) and browse the various health insurance policies they have to choose from for coverage starting January 1st...as well as whatever federal (and state, in some cases) tax credits they'll be eligible for.
Last month I posted an analysis of total enrollment in ACA health insurance exchange coverage nationally which broke the data out by Congressional District partisan lean as well as according to what percent of the vote Donald Trump received a year ago.
My conclusion? Around 20% more QHP/BHP enrollees live in House districts won by Republicans than those won by Democrats last fall…but there’s still an awful lot of blue district residents who are getting hit hard.
Over 26 million Americans in BOTH red and blue districts & states are going to be screwed in the near future if the enhanced tax credits are allowed to expire & the PAPI change is kept in place, and millions of them will lose healthcare coverage completely.
Today, with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits also about to be cut off to over 40 million Americans by Congressional Republicans, I decided to take a similar look at how that breaks out along partisan lines.
North Dakota has around ~43,000 residents enrolled in ACA exchange plans, 91% of whom are currently subsidized. I estimate they also have another ~16,000 unsubsidized off-exchange enrollees.
Wisconsin has around ~293,000 residents enrolled in ACA exchange plans, 98% of whom are currently subsidized. I estimate they also have another ~19,000 unsubsidized off-exchange enrollees.
West Virginia has ~67,000 residents enrolled in ACA exchange plans, 97% of whom are currently subsidized. They also have an unknown number of off-exchange enrollees (likely only a few thousand at most).
The average proposed rate increase of 12.6%, effective January 1, 2026 is expected to impact 13,677 members, based on membership as of March 31, 2025. The rate increase varies by plan, ranging between 4.4% and 20.5%. Rate changes vary by plan due to the impact of changes in benefits and rating adjustments to account for the non-funding of Cost Sharing Reduction (CSR) payments.
(unfortunately, CareSource WV's actuarial memo is heavily redacted)
Highmark BCBS WV:
Highmark West Virgina (“Highmark WV”) is requesting an average ACA individual market rate increase of 17.0%, ranging from 15.2% to 23.3%. Products submitted with this filing will have effective dates from January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026. This rate change is projected to affect 28,179 members.
Historical Financial Experience:
Highmark WV incurred an underwriting gain in its ACA individual market programs in 2024.
