1st ACA Open Enrollment Day sees huge rate hikes, lacks coverage

The Dramatic Shift in the American Care Act

Over the past few weeks, the American Care Act (ACA) saga has taken primacy in the political arena, enough to be a driving force behind the federal government shutdown. However, it seems that the topic is being overlooked on the media front as of today.

Keeping an eye on the ACA situation, I have been working on updating my yearly Open Enrollment Guide on ACASignups.net. Surprisingly, no other news platforms seemed to be discussing this critical issue this morning, which pushed me to cross-post my guide here.

About a year ago, I started my 2025 ACA Open Enrollment Period guide with the statement: “This is the best OEP ever for the ACA” for several reasons:

• Firstly, the introduction in 2021 of enhanced premium subsidies via the American Rescue Plan, which made premiums more affordable and expanded eligibility to millions who were not previously eligible, are continuing until the end of 2025 via the Inflation Reduction Act.
• Secondly, a dozen states are launching, continuing, or expanding their own state-based subsidy programs to make ACA plans even more affordable for their enrollees.
• Finally, more than 100,000 DACA recipients are now finally eligible to enroll in ACA exchange plans and receive financial assistance.

However, the progress of a year can drastically change the situation. The first and the third improvements mentioned above are unfortunately no longer applicable. It’s not just the DACA recipients who are now ineligible to enroll in ACA coverage, but several other classes of non-citizens, including those who were granted asylum for fear of being tortured and even victims of domestic abuse and human trafficking are no longer covered according to reports.

Furthermore, the enhanced federal tax credits which have been invaluable over the past five years are still scheduled to expire soon, which will largely cause gross premiums to increase by 25% on average and NET premiums to surge by 114% on average nationwide starting from January 1, 2026.

Given these setbacks, if the 2025 Open Enrollment Period was the best ever for the ACA, the 2026 OEP may very well be the worst for the approximately 22.7 million current enrollees and the millions of others who might be mulling over newly enrolling in ACA coverage. Therefore, the situation can be aptly summarized as TrumpCare 2.0.

That being said, there are still some bright spots in the gloom. The second improvement mentioned above still holds true: There are ten states (down from twelve) newly-offering or retooling state-based subsidy programs to counter some of the lost federal tax credits or implementing new policies to help mitigate the damage.

Aside from that, my other yearly enrollment tips remain relevant, although they may seem like mere temporary solutions to a bigger problem this year.

It’s crucial to understand what the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) will be in 2026 before proceeding. The FPL plays a vital role in determining eligibility for both premium tax credits and Cost Sharing Reduction (CSR) subsidies and Medicaid expansion eligibility in the states that have expanded the program. Moreover, the FPL threshold increases by a few percent each year due to inflation.

Key Points to Consider When Enrolling for ACA Coverage

1. Enroll Early!

The 2026 Open Enrollment Period officially spans from November 1st, 2025 through January 15th, 2026 in most states, but there are some exceptions:

• Idaho has already launched their 2026 OEP on October 15th, and it ends on December 15th.
• The OEP in Massachusetts ends on January 23rd, 2026.
• The OEP in Virginia ends on January 30th, 2026.
• For California, DC, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island, the final deadline is January 31st, 2026.

2. Official ACA Health Exchanges are the Safest Bet for Enrollment

ACA financial subsidies are only available to those who sign up through an official ACA exchange or an authorized third-party exchange entity, known as an Enhanced Direct Enrollment (EDE) entity. Beware of fraudsters out there, trying to sell fake plans through robocalls, spam emails, and deceptive websites.

When enrolling online, it is imperative to use only the official ACA exchange websites:

Please note that while some insurance carrier websites are also linked to the federal exchange through an EDE, they only list their own plans. However, whether through an official exchange site or an EDE, remember that you must enroll on-exchange to be eligible for financial assistance.

I am unable to cross-post the entire entry due to its extensive length, please visit ACASignups.net for the remaining critical points to remember.