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Florida sees 440,000 drop in ACA enrollees after subsidies expire

Illustration of a stethoscope with a high price tag — Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

Florida saw the nation's largest drop in Affordable Care Act (ACA) enrollment this year after enhanced subsidies expired, according to new data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Why it matters: Without the subsidies, premiums soared. Floridians who could afford it settled for less coverage at a higher cost; more than 440,000 left the ACA marketplace altogether.

Between the lines: The pandemic-era enhanced subsidies that Democrats passed in 2021 have overwhelmingly benefited red states, like Florida, that haven't expanded Medicaid, according to analysts.

Many residents who would qualify for Medicaid in other states remain ineligible in Florida.
That's pushed people to enroll in ACA plans, which, until recently, offered expanded coverage options for those above the federal poverty level.

Yes, but: Even with the drop, Florida still leads the nation in ACA marketplace enrollment, at nearly 4 million.

Zoom out: Nationally, ACA enrollment fell by about 3 million since last year, or about 13%, according to a separate federal report from the Department of Health and Human Services last month.

That report attributed the drop-off to improper or fraudulent sign-ups by "phantom enrollees."
But health policy experts have pointed to large numbers of people not paying their first ACA premiums following the expiration of subsidies.

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Florida sees 440,000 drop in ACA enrollees after subsidies expire

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