NOTUS Finds 1 in 5 ACA marketplace enrollees dropped coverage since January
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health Care, today released the following statement in reaction to new reporting from NOTUS that one in five Americans enrolled in health coverage through HealthCare.gov lost insurance coverage after President Trump and Congressional Republicans declined to extend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits:
“This reporting should be a wake-up call for Republicans. The data makes clear that Democrats’ warnings were right: Millions of hardworking Americans are being forced to go without health care coverage because we failed to extend critical health care tax credits. This is a bipartisan problem that will be felt in red and blue states alike,” said Senator Welch. “Instead of spending billions on tax cuts for the rich, a reckless war, and glitzy ballrooms, we should invest in making health care more affordable and accessible to everyday Americans. I urge my Republican colleagues to come back to the table and work with Democrats to extend these vital tax cuts, so families can access the care they need.”
More than 30,000 Vermonters access health coverage through the ACA marketplace and utilize the expanded premium tax credits that expired at the end of 2025. Nationally, nearly 20 million working Americans who rely on the ACA marketplace are now facing higher premiums, with many seeing their premiums double, or even triple. Compared to 2025, nearly 1 million fewer Americans have selected an insurance plan through the ACA marketplace. In the face of unaffordable premiums, 40% of marketplace enrollees who chose to stay with a marketplace plan selected lower tier coverage.
Congressional Democrats have repeatedly urged their Republican colleagues to work with them to extend the tax credits and protect access to care for millions. Senator Welch helped unveil Senate Democrats’ plan to extend the tax credits for three years, but Republicans opposed the bill. Senator Welch was part of a bipartisan working group fighting to extend the credits, and spoke with President Trump and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy in the Oval Office about the urgent need to extend the credits.
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