Millions drop ACA marketplace coverage following subsidy expiration, new data shows

Millions of Americans appear to be dropping Affordable Care Act coverage in the months since Congress failed to extend the generous subsidies that had become a defining feature of the ACA (Source: “Since Congress Let Obamacare Subsidies Expire, Millions Are Dropping Coverage,” New York Times, May 1).
 
Initial sign-ups had already fallen by about 1.2 million people. But insurance companies, state officials and industry analysts are reporting that many more have lost ACA marketplace coverage now that people are facing long-term higher costs. The federal government has yet to report current enrollment data.
 
Many insurers and analysts are estimating overall declines of about 20%, dropping to around 19 million from the 24 million who were covered under the A.C.A. last year. Other indications suggest there could be even larger potential losses by the end of the year, a deep retrenchment for Obamacare coverage and a reversal of significant gains in the last several years.
 
In recent months, HPIO has developed a series of policy explainers as part of its Federal Health Policy Impact on Ohio project. The resources cover recent federal health policy changes, including from HR 1, and describes how Ohio policymakers will need to account for these developments as part of administering programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which can have significant impacts on the health of Ohioans and Ohio families in the future.