New data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services show that 1.2 million people who obtained health insurance on the federal marketplaces but did not qualify for subsidies dropped their coverage between 2017 and 2018. At the same time, an additional 300,000 people who qualified for subsidies signed up.
While noting that the data show that “the ACA continues not to collapse,” Larry Levitt of the Kaiser Family Foundation said that the rapidly rising cost of coverage is hurting people who earn too much to receive Obamacare subsidies: “As premiums have risen recently, middle-class people have taken it on the chin.”
Some other details from the report:
- Between 2016 and 2018, unsubsidized enrollment fell by 2.5 million nationally.
- The decline in unsubsidized enrollment varied by state, ranging from Rhode Island’s 0.4% drop to Iowa’s 91% decline.
- Six states saw unsubsidized enrollment fall by more than 70% over the two years: Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Tennessee.
- Average enrollment in the entire individual market fell by 7% between 2017 and 2018.
Overall, premiums rose 26% between 2017 and 2018.
