NEW: Idaho Enrollment Data Shows Health Coverage at Risk After Republicans Hiked Premiums

Disenrollments nearly doubled, new enrollments fell 24%, and 20,000 Idahoans expected to cancel coverage in the coming months.

New enrollment data from Your Health Idaho provides a first look at the impact of Republicans’ refusal to extend the enhanced ACA premium tax credits. Idaho became the first state in the nation to end enrollment amid this uncertainty. The credits make coverage affordable for more than 100,000 Idahoans. Without them, families face average monthly premium increases of 114%.

The data show a deepening affordability crisis. Disenrollments nearly doubled from last year, while new enrollments declined by 24%. On the final day of enrollment, many Idahoans switched plans as they searched for lower premiums. As a result, 9.2% more residents selected bronze plans, which provide the least coverage and higher out-of-pocket costs, while fewer could afford plans with lower deductibles.

Marketplace officials warn the disruption will continue beyond the enrollment period. An estimated 20,000 Idahoans are expected to cancel coverage by the end of March because they cannot afford the higher premiums.

In response, Idaho Democratic Party Chair Lauren Necochea released the following statement:

“Idaho is a stark warning sign for the rest of the country. Republicans made health care twice as expensive, causing Idahoans to spend the final day of open enrollment scrambling to find a plan without busting their family budget. More people are stuck with bare-bones coverage and high out-of-pocket costs. Others dropped coverage altogether. Now we’re staring down the next wave of damage. Officials expect that 20,000 Idahoans will cancel their coverage in the coming months because they can’t afford Trump’s premium hikes. These are working families who will be forced to choose between paying for food, rent, and medical care. For months, Democrats have had legislation ready to extend the tax credits and clean up the mess Republicans deliberately wrote into their budget. It’s long past time for Republicans to join Democrats in enacting the solution that the American people want and deserve.”