The number of North Bay residents who newly enrolled in Affordable Care Act health plans this year declined by 33%, likely the result of the recent expiration of federal subsidies.
The big drop in new enrollment in the state’s Covered California insurance marketplace was tempered by an increase in the number of North Bay residents renewing their coverage, resulting in an overall enrollee decline of 2.3%.
New sign-ups locally dropped from 10,862 last year to 7,331 this year. Those renewing their coverage, in many cases dropping to less expensive plans, increased from 52,363 last year to 54,452 for 2026.
New enrollment is made up of uninsured people who are joining a Covered California plan for the first time or who haven’t enrolled in the past year.
The North Bay’s declines in new sign-ups and overall enrollment are in line with statewide drops of 32% and 2.6%, respectively, the agency said this week.
Jessica Altman, Covered California’s executive director, said enrollment this year was unique for a number of reasons, including the loss of pandemic-era Enhanced Premium Tax Credits that greatly reduced the cost of health plans.
“Many Californians see the value in remaining covered, but they had to make sacrifices and shift to lower-tier plans,” Altman said in a statement.
The enrollment period for coverage this year ran from Nov. 1, 2025, to Jan. 31, 2026.
The agency said in a statement the loss of the tax credits led to fewer new sign-ups of Californians across all ethnicities. Latino communities were most affected, with enrollment down 39%, while Black residents saw a 34% drop in new sign-ups.
More than a third of new enrollees chose Bronze plans for 2026 compared to less than a quarter last year. Statewide, more than 130,000 people switched to cheaper Bronze plans this year.
To counter the loss of federal tax subsidies, the state allocated $190 million from the Health Care Affordability Reserve Fund in 2026 for state-funded tax credits for people earning up to 165% of the federal poverty level.
That will help maintain monthly premiums at last year’s levels for individuals earning up to $23,475 a year or a family of four making $48,225.
Covered California officials described this year’s renewals as “strong” due to historic levels reached in 2025. Between 2024 and 2025, the number of people statewide renewing their coverage jumped 10.5% to 1,633,793 renewals. This year, statewide renewals grew by a more modest 3.6%.
The agency said renewal rates for low-income consumers were in line with last year’s numbers. However, middle-income earners in the state making 400% of the federal poverty level saw big declines in enrollment.
New sign-ups among this population were down a staggering 59% compared to last year, and the cancellation rate for this group was 22%, the highest among all income groups.
Nearly half of Covered California’s enrollees, 935,700, live in Southern California, while another 20% live in the Greater Bay Area.
You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com.