Enrollment in the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace dropped by more than 1 million users in the face of stalled federal resolutions to skyrocketing health care costs in the United States.
According to CMS, in 2025, 24,166,491 people enrolled in the ACA’s marketplace. In 2026, there are 22,973,219 — a drop of 1,193,272.
Shari M. Erickson, MPH, ACP’s chief advocacy officer and senior vice president of Governmental Affairs and Public Policy, told Healio the “dramatic reversal we are seeing in the enrollment trend this year is a tragedy for many patients.”
“Patients