North Carolinians’ enrollment in the Affordable Care Act dropped by 22% – “the largest drop in the country” – after DC insider Michael Whatley cheered on the expiration of the ACA tax credits, causing monthly premiums to double or more for nearly a million North Carolinians.
Whatley has also called for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act and called it a “huge win” when DC Republicans gutted Medicaid.
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Jacob Biba | February 17, 2026
- Amid rising costs and the expiration of enhanced subsidies, fewer North Carolina residents enrolled in health coverage under the Affordable Care Act for 2026, according to the latest figures from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
- The law created tax credits to help lower out-of-pocket costs. It also barred insurers from charging people with pre-existing health conditions higher premiums or denying coverage altogether.
- Just 761,457 people enrolled in health coverage under the ACA in North Carolina for 2026, according to the latest figures from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The decline is about 22%, or 214,000 fewer enrollments, than in 2025, the largest drop in the country.
- Increased premium costs and the expiration of enhanced subsidies led to the sharp decline in enrollment, according to healthcare experts and advocates.
- In 2025, state Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey approved a nearly 30% average rate hike for ACA plans purchased through the federal marketplace, healthcare.gov. Causey said the increases were necessary due to rising healthcare costs and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law in July.
- This year, most people are paying more for the same health care coverage, Riggs said, while many chose higher-deductible plans to lower their monthly premium. Others did not enroll in coverage at all, Riggs added.
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