Maine has witnessed a significant decline in enrollment for Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans for 2026, with thousands of residents canceling their coverage. As of December 15, 2025, enrollment has dropped by 7% compared to the same period last year, with approximately 5,500 individuals opting out of their plans due to escalating monthly premiums. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) disclosed this information in a recent statement.
The sharp decrease in enrollment follows Congress’s failure to extend certain tax credits that are set to expire at the end of the year. As a result, premiums for many Maine residents are projected to rise dramatically, with an average increase of 77% reported. These tax credits, known as Enhanced Premium Tax Credits, were first introduced in 2021 and were extended through 2025 to help lower costs for enrollees.
Mitchell Stein, an independent health policy analyst based in Maine, expressed concern over the trend. He stated, “The fall-off of enrollees was completely expected because premiums for some are becoming unaffordable. We should be alarmed because people are going to go without coverage.” Stein highlighted that individuals dropping their coverage are essentially taking a risk, hoping to avoid significant health issues in the coming year.
The deadline for purchasing an ACA plan that begins on January 1, 2026, was December 15. While there is a later deadline of January 15 for plans starting on February 1, the majority of enrollments typically occur in December to prevent gaps in health insurance coverage. Although the Maine DHHS did not provide the exact number of enrollees who signed up by the December 15 deadline, they noted that 57,881 residents had selected a 2026 plan by December 13. In comparison, total ACA enrollment for 2025 stood at 64,678.
Lindsay Hammes, a spokesperson for the Maine DHHS, indicated that the primary reason cited by individuals canceling their 2026 plans was the inability to afford higher premiums. For some, these rates are projected to increase by thousands of dollars each month, particularly affecting those earning more than 400% of the federal poverty level, which amounts to $85,600 for a two-person household. Hammes revealed that approximately 34% of those who canceled their plans fall within this income bracket, highlighting the impact of the expired credits.
Stein further noted that the expiration of the enhanced credits could create a detrimental cycle within the ACA marketplace. The individuals most likely to forgo coverage are typically younger and healthier, leaving older individuals and those with pre-existing conditions in the insurance pool, which in turn drives premiums higher.
Discussions in Congress regarding the potential extension of the enhanced credits are ongoing. Most Republicans, along with President Donald Trump, have expressed opposition to extending these credits. In contrast, a coalition of moderate House Republicans has introduced a bill that would necessitate a vote in January on a three-year extension of the enhanced credits. Meanwhile, a bipartisan group of moderate senators, including Maine’s own Sen. Susan Collins, is collaborating with some Democrats to negotiate a compromise that would extend most credits while implementing new eligibility criteria.
Collins and Sen. Angus King, an Independent from Maine, voted in favor of extending the credits during a recent vote; however, the proposal failed to secure the necessary 60 votes for passage in the Senate. Collins also supported a Republican plan that did not extend the credits but allocated funding for health savings accounts, which cannot be used for premium payments. In contrast, King opposed that plan.
Maine Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden have also voiced their support for extending the credits. In addition to the Enhanced Premium Tax Credits, another set of tax credits known as Advanced Premium Tax Credits, established under the original ACA law in 2013, remains in effect without an expiration date.
Hammes noted a concerning trend: the number of new enrollees in Maine—those signing up for ACA insurance for the first time—has decreased by 29% compared to 2024. “We have the lowest number of new consumers at this time of year since Maine launched its state-based marketplace in 2021,” she stated. Hammes warned that more residents might choose to cancel their plans once they receive their January bills, which have just begun to be distributed by insurance carriers, with payments due by January 1.
This article was originally published by the Maine Trust for Local News. For further inquiries, Joe Lawlor can be contacted at [email protected].
