Washington ACA Enrollment Holds Up Despite Subsidy Cuts, Rate Hikes
Washington's ACA marketplace opens enrollment Sunday with about 260,000 people still enrolled, far more than the 80,000 drop state officials had feared after Congress let enhanced federal premium subsidies lapse. Enrollment fell only about 15,000 from a year earlier, a much smaller decline than earlier 2026 projections of 36,500 lost enrollees. Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer credits an emergency rule maximizing other premium tax credits and the state's own Cascade Care Savings subsidy for softening the blow. Exchange enrollees still face a 22.2% average rate increase starting January 1, and the article separately notes up to 200,000 Washington residents could lose Medicaid coverage when new federal work requirements take effect in January.