Photo by Whitney Downard/Pennsylvania Capital-Star A Pennie sign at the 2026 Pennsylvania Farm Show.

Pennsylvania’s Affordable Care Act insurance marketplace reported Monday that nearly 20% of their enrollees, roughly 85,000 people, dropped their coverage. The move followed the doubling of their premiums after the GOP-controlled Congress allowed enhanced subsidies to expire at the end of last year.

Around 486,000 Pennsylvanians are currently enrolled in Pennie, which closed its open enrollment on Jan. 31.

“At the start of this open enrollment before the cost increases took effect, Pennie was pacing ahead in enrollment numbers compared to last year,” said Devon Trolley, Pennie’s director, in a statement. “Once open enrollment began and the reality of the higher premium increases set in, Pennie saw steady and high volumes of disenrollments.”

The average premium increased by 102%, though some reported that their monthly costs tripled.

Marketplace enrollment in government-subsidized plans grew following the federal 2021 COVID-10 relief package that passed under former President Joe Biden. Extending the subsidies beyond the 2025 expiration date is popular across the country, but they were allowed to expire due to Republican concerns over the costs to the federal government.

In total, the price tag is $1 trillion to subsidize marketplace plans. Roughly one-third of that goes to the enhanced subsidies that increased the coverage threshold to $62,600 for a single person or $84,600 for a family of two.

Some of those who ended their Pennie coverage come from this group, though those making less also saw increases to their premiums. The state’s release noted that terminations were also elevated for older and rural Pennsylvanians.

Those still enrolled shifted their preferences, opting for the bronze plans with lower monthly premiums and higher out-of-pocket costs. Pennsylvanians with qualifying life events, such as moving or having a baby, may still enroll in Pennie outside of the open enrollment period.

But new enrollments will be few, and Pennie’s release indicated that it expected “elevated levels” of termination for several months as enrollees juggle the jump in cost.

“Enrollees receiving tax credits have three months to pay outstanding premiums before coverage is ended; Pennie will not have a complete picture of the premium increase impact until this spring,” Trolley said.

Though new enrollment was 12% lower than 2025, just under 80,000 Pennsylvanians signed up for Pennie for the first time this year. The release attributed it to a “continued demand … for high-quality coverage.”

Some of the feedback from would-be enrollees included those who said new premiums would take up nearly half of their income or force them to choose between health coverage and rent, food and utilities.

In its release, Pennie said that higher numbers of uninsured and underinsured Pennsylvanians strains the state’s health care system and economy, driving up medical bankruptcy and debt, discouraging entrepreneurship and small business employment and increasing uncompensated care costs for hospitals and providers.

“On the health side, more uninsured Pennsylvanians means delayed care, worse health outcomes, and a greater reliance on emergency rooms. When conditions go untreated, people are more likely to experience preventable complications, permanent disabilities, and a reduced ability to work and live independently,” Trolley said.

“As Pennie continues to monitor enrollment and terminations in the months ahead, the full impact of rising premiums will become clear – not just in enrollment numbers, but in the health and stability of communities across Pennsylvania,” Trolley concluded.

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