ACA Open Enrollment Opens With Higher Premiums, Insurer Exits
In a roundup titled "ACA open enrollment begins: 7 notes," Becker's Payer Issues reports that the 2027 marketplace enrollment period, which opened Nov. 1, brings a second straight year of double-digit benchmark premium hikes (up 13% on average) and an 18% drop in individual market enrollment. Twelve insurers, including Cigna (exiting entirely) and Molina (cutting from 14 states to six), are leaving the exchange in various states, while seven new entrants include Oscar, AmeriHealth Caritas and CalOptima. CMS has paused new broker registrations through February 2027 and pushed insurers to monitor agent compliance, while Senate Democrats allege CMS improperly terminated roughly 315,000 plan year 2026 policies tied to unverified broker enrollments. Some state-based exchanges, such as New Mexico, are using state subsidies to offset the loss of enhanced federal premium tax credits, and new HR 1 restrictions on lawfully present immigrants and repayment caps take effect in January.