New federal data from the Donald Trump administration shows enrollment in the Affordable Care Act marketplaces has fallen by about 2.6M people, with Ohio and Oklahoma each losing more than 32% of enrollees.The decline follows the January lapse of enhanced premium subsidies that sharply increased monthly costs and tighter immigrant eligibility rules, and the Department of Health and Human Services cites a fraud crackdown as an additional factor in the drop.States that use the federal Healthcare.gov marketplace generally suffered larger losses than those operating state-based marketplaces, while New Mexico increased enrollment by about 14% after replacing lost federal subsidies with state funds.Analysts warn many who left Marketplace plans likely became uninsured because the
Affordable Care Act marketplaces often serve as a last-resort option, and the enrollment slump is intensifying voter concern about healthcare affordability ahead of upcoming elections.