Arizona Enrollment Falls Nearly 66,000 in Affordable Care Act
Arizona’s affordable care act marketplace lost nearly 66,000 enrollees by the end of January after Congress did not renew subsidies that helped people pay premiums. More than 357,000 Arizonans were enrolled at the beginning of the year, down from more than 423,000 last year.
The drop left hundreds of thousands of residents facing higher monthly costs or the prospect of dropping coverage. The decline was the sixth highest for any state, according to Protect Our Care.
Darryl Komesu and higher premiums
Darryl Komesu, an ACA marketplace enrollee and retiree, said the marketplace is the only option for him and his wife because of their age and retirement. He said he switched providers to keep the same doctors, and his premium went up 26%.
“I think for us, you know, mainly it’s just the aggravation of having to pay more for health insurance,” Komesu said. He added, “If rates go up in 2027, then we’d have to just re-evaluate our finances.”
Ashton Young on coverage changes
Ashton Young, who will turn 25 this week, has relied on the ACA marketplace as she deals with a rare and aggressive form of asthma. She struggled to find providers for her life-saving medicine under a new plan she signed onto through the marketplace at the beginning of 2026, then moved onto her mother’s employer-sponsored health plan in the last couple of months.
Young said, “It’s not a surprise that so many people had to drop off of their coverage. It’s just ridiculous.” She also said, “We’re going through another type of health care crisis in some type of way with so many people no longer being able to afford their health care is ridiculous.”
Arizona marketplace after subsidies
The subsidies that expired were described as Biden-era subsidies that the Trump administration pushed to let expire because they were initially meant to be temporary. Republicans said letting the subsidies expire was a way to root out fraud. Public enrollment data for the last few months were not yet available, even as experts believed other Arizona residents may have dropped or lost coverage.
