{"id":143419,"date":"2026-06-02T10:23:54","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T13:23:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/where-affordable-care-act-insurance-coverage-has-dropped-most-in-wa-washington-state-standard\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T10:24:03","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T13:24:03","slug":"where-affordable-care-act-insurance-coverage-has-dropped-most-in-wa-washington-state-standard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/where-affordable-care-act-insurance-coverage-has-dropped-most-in-wa-washington-state-standard\/","title":{"rendered":"Where Affordable Care Act insurance coverage has dropped most in WA \u2022 Washington State Standard"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Washington\u2019s rural counties saw the largest drops in insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act after the Republican-controlled Congress failed to extend subsidies that helped consumers afford the plans.<\/span><\/p>\n

About 250,000 Washingtonians are enrolled this year through the <\/span>Washington Health Benefit Exchange<\/span><\/a>, down roughly 36,500 from 2025. That amounts to a nearly 13% reduction, the biggest falloff since the marketplace launched in 2013.<\/span><\/p>\n

The decline isn\u2019t as steep as had been feared.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

State officials estimated last year that as many as 80,000 people could forgo coverage with Congress <\/span>not extending tax credits<\/span><\/a> for these policies. The issue was at the heart of last fall\u2019s lengthy federal government shutdown as congressional Democrats wanted to see the subsidies extended while Republicans refused.<\/span><\/p>\n

Premiums rose an average of 21%, due in part to the <\/span>loss of the enhanced tax credits<\/span><\/a>, which started during the COVID pandemic. The increase was in line with similar hikes nationwide. But losing the subsidies meant even steeper price hikes for some customers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Those most likely to drop their coverage were young and lower-income.<\/span><\/p>\n

This coverage is meant for people not covered through their work or government programs like Medicaid or Medicare. Many of those no longer covered could\u2019ve found insurance elsewhere, like joining a family member\u2019s plan or getting employer-sponsored coverage.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we expect is that a majority of these folks are now uninsured, and that what we\u2019re going to see is a pretty steep increase from the historically low uninsured rates that we\u2019ve had,\u201d said Laura Kate Zaichkin, director of market competition and affordability at Washington\u2019s exchange.<\/span><\/p>\n

In February, state officials reported a <\/span>19,000-person drop<\/span><\/a> in coverage through Washington\u2019s online marketplace, but more customers fell off as they faced their initial monthly payments with high premiums.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Future adjustments to marketplace plans still to come have left state officials expecting to see a 30% drop in enrollment over the next few years compared to 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n

Where coverage losses were sharpest<\/h4>\n

Enrollment increased nowhere in the state, but some areas have been hit harder than others.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rural counties saw some of the biggest drops in coverage between March 2025 and this March. Over 1,100 Yakima County residents went without insurance via Washington Healthplanfinder, amounting to a nearly 18% fall.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Garfield, San Juan, Franklin, Pacific, Wahkiakum and Asotin counties all saw drops above 20%. But some of those are so small that a few dozen people no longer covered could result in a major percentage decrease.<\/span><\/p>\n

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