News · Press Release

MISSOURI ACA ENROLLMENT DROPS 10% AFTER ANN WAGNER VOTES AGAINST LOWER PREMIUMS

Majority of ACA enrollees report cutting back on food to afford health care
Ann Wagner’s decision to fund tax cuts for billionaires by gutting Missourians’ health care is having real consequences for the people she’s supposed to represent, KBIA reports.
Roughly 42,000 fewer Missourians signed up for health care through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) this year, with “health policy experts point[ing] to the expiration of enhanced federal tax credits as a key reason for the decline.” Nationwide, a majority of ACA enrollees report cutting back on food and other necessities to afford the higher premiums Wagner voted for.

DCCC Spokesperson Lindsay Reilly:
“Ann Wagner funded tax breaks for her billionaire buddies off the backs of Missourians. Voters will remember Wagner’s betrayal in November.”

Read the reporting for yourself…

KBIA: Missouri ACA enrollment drops nearly 10% as subsidies expire

  • Enrollment in Affordable Care Act marketplace plans in Missouri fell by nearly 10% this year, according to new data released after the close of the 2025–26 sign-up period in January.
  • About 365,000 Missourians enrolled in coverage — roughly 42,000 fewer than last year.
  • Health policy experts point to the expiration of enhanced federal tax credits as a key reason for the decline. The subsidies had helped keep premiums low, and without them, many consumers are now facing significantly higher costs for similar coverage.
  • Rachel Swindle, a Harvard University PhD candidate who studies marketplace insurance, says the drop in enrollment could have broader consequences.
  • “As those younger, healthier people exit the marketplace because their premiums are going up, the risk pool gets sicker and more expensive to cover from the insurance company’s perspective,” Swindle said. “It’s going to almost certainly get worse. It’s just how much worse it is going to get.”
  • Swindle says the current enrollment numbers may still fall in the coming weeks. Many enrollees were automatically re-enrolled and remain in a grace period to pay their premiums. Those who fail to make payments could lose coverage, further reducing the total.
  • She says rising costs may push more people to seek alternative coverage — or go without insurance altogether — raising concerns about the stability of the marketplace in Missouri.
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