RFK Jr., states at odds over cause of Obamacare's enrollment declines [View all]

Source: Politico

05/25/2026 04:00 PM EDT


Both the Trump administration and state officials agree on the numerical fact: People this year are dropping their Obamacare coverage — to the tune of 1.2 million people out of a total enrollment of 24.3 million as of March, according to the latest federal data. But they are at odds over why.

Trump officials say better federal policing of fraud on Healthcare.gov accounts for much of the drop. Meanwhile, some state Affordable Care Act exchanges blame higher costs, particularly after Congress decided not to extend beyond Jan. 1 the enhanced subsidies that brought premiums down for higher-income people.

The dueling narratives are taking place ahead of the fall midterms as Democrats attempt to persuade voters that President Donald Trump and his policies are to blame for rising costs across the economy — with health care at the top of the list. Republicans are countering that they are saving Americans money by going after fraud that Democrats have long overlooked — and showing results.

The full extent of the coverage loss — as well as which Americans are opting to drop insurance — is expected to become clearer in the coming months. As they start parsing the reasons, states and insurers examining signups say it appears that middle-income, working Americans and immigrants who are here legally are falling through the cracks as they confront much higher premium payments compared to last year.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/25/obamacare-affordability-premiums-fraud-midterms-looming-00930051?utm_medium=bluesky&utm_source=dlvr.it