KFF Poll and CMS Data Show 1.2M Lost Coverage After Subsidy End
KFF finds 66% of adults worry about affording health care; CMS reports 1.2 million households lost coverage in the 2026 sign-up season.
Overview
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reported 1.2 million households dropped health insurance during the 2026 sign-up season in 30 states after enhanced premium tax credits expired, CMS said.
A Kaiser Family Foundation poll of 1,426 U.S. adults conducted Jan. 13-20 found 66% of adults worry about affording health care, making it the top household financial concern, KFF said.
President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers defended allowing the enhanced credits to lapse as fiscal restraint, while Democratic leaders condemned the move and pursued extensions that contributed to a 43-day government shutdown in October and November, public records and officials said.
KFF found 67% of respondents said Congress did the "wrong thing" by letting the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies expire, including 89% of Democrats and 72% of independents, KFF said.
The Congressional Budget Office projected up to 2.2 million households could lose coverage once all states report, and CMS officials said many states extended the 2026 sign-up season to the end of January, which could change final totals, CBO and CMS officials said.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources present the poll results straightforwardly, relying on KFF data and an analyst’s quote, giving quantitative breakdowns and noting counterviews (one-third supported subsidy expiration). Editorial language is factual and non-evaluative, emphasizing statistics and context—cause (subsidy lapse) is attributed to cited research, not asserted as editorial judgment.