Obamacare enrollment fell to 20.5 million people as of June, KFF says

Enrollment in Affordable Care Act and other individual health insurance plans fell 18% to 20.5 million members in June, the steepest annual decline since 2015, according to health policy research firm KFF. This marks the steepest annual decline since 2015, as rising health insurance costs impact Americans. Enrollment stood at 25.2 million in the year-earlier period. The 2010 Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, provides income-based government-subsidized health plans. Millions have dropped coverage this year following the expiration of extra COVID-19 pandemic subsidies, which doubled or tripled costs for some individuals. A previous KFF study in February found a 12% year-over-year decline in enrollment. US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated in a Wednesday press briefing that approximately 20 million people currently rely on Obamacare. KFF anticipates that plan members will continue to decrease through 2026. According to a March KFF survey, about 17% of Obamacare plan members expressed a lack of confidence in their ability to pay premiums for the remainder of the year. Insurers like Centene and UnitedHealth have reported increasing medical costs within their Obamacare businesses this year. Companies offering these plans have requested a median rate increase of 14% for the current year, the second-highest premium increase in nearly a decade. Insurers cited a sicker or higher-risk patient mix enrolled in the plans as a reason for requesting higher payments. KFF's analysis was based on insurer marketplace enrollment data reported in regulatory filings.