Connecticut officials said they are weighing whether to extend the final open-enrollment deadline for 2026 Affordable Care Act health plans because lawmakers in Washington remain uncertain about whether to revive expired federal premium subsidies.
Officials pointed to the Congress process for the enhanced subsidies, which lapsed at the end of 2025. They said the expiration is expected to raise premiums for many people in Connecticut and across the country during the 2026 enrollment period.
Access Health CT, the state’s ACA marketplace, said it is in discussions with insurers about whether to extend the deadline beyond Jan. 31. Interim Insurance Commissioner Josh Hershman, Gov. Ned Lamont and Access Health CT CEO James Michel made the comments at a news conference Monday and said residents should consider enrolling and asking brokers about eligibility for assistance.
Michel said one potential trigger for extending open enrollment would be federal action on the subsidies. “One of the potential changes out there is what the feds are doing. If they do something within the next week or two — in terms of extending the subsidies — then we may have to look at extending (open enrollment) beyond February and March,” Michel said. He added that the goal would be to have “our customers” return to shop, including “maybe” buying plans with “more coverage” because they would have “more subsidy available” to repurchase.
The current open-enrollment deadline has already been extended to Jan. 31. Officials said coverage would start Feb. 1 for individuals or households that enroll in a health or dental plan by the end of the month.
Even without the enhanced federal subsidies, officials said enrollment increased. Michel said that as of Jan. 2, the total number of people enrolled for 2026 plans was almost 150,000, about 3% to 5% higher than the same period last year.
Before the federal subsidies expired, Lamont announced Connecticut would step in with a state-funded emergency response effort. Officials said the plan includes a $500 million fund set up during a special session to address federal cuts, and that CoveredCT would run through June 2027. They said CoveredCT provides no-cost plans to low-income families that earn too much to qualify for Medicaid.
Officials said nearly $51 million would replace the federal subsidy for people who earn between 100% and 200% of the Federal Poverty Level. They also said the state would cover half of current financial assistance for people between 400% and 500% of the Federal Poverty Level, while those in that income band would lose all federal assistance now that the enhanced subsidies are gone.
Hershman said the program should make up the gap for the most vulnerable. “The consumers in Connecticut that are most vulnerable and in the lowest income class should be made entirely whole based on the gap that was created from the non-extension of the federal subsidies,” he said.
Lamont said the state effort would not close the federal gap for everyone. “We’re not going to be able to make up all of the federal shortfall forever,” Lamont said. He added that the state expects rates could stay the same or even go down for people earning up to about $160,000 a year, and said Connecticut is one of only a few states offering subsidies to offset the enhanced federal premium cut, along with Maryland, California and New Mexico.
Connecticut residents described how the subsidy expiration could affect their budgets. Malaine Trecoske, a 64-year-old from Branford who is nearing eligibility for Medicare, said she and her 63-year-old husband would need to pay $42,000 a year to stay on their silver plan after the enhanced federal subsidy expired. She said she and her husband were considering whether to keep their income below 400% of the Federal Poverty Level to remain eligible for some subsidies or earn more money and move above the threshold.
Because Connecticut would cover about half of the current assistance for people at 400% to 500% of FPL, Trecoske said that approach could cut what her family owes to about $21,000 for the year, provided they remain within that range. She said the premiums would still be costly.
Another resident, Stephanie Saujon, said she and her husband would see an increase of about $1,000 a month in their health care premiums. She said they have had to “shuffle things around and budget to afford these premiums,” and she said she will not get relief from the state because she is over the threshold for assistance. Saujon said the premium spike “is really not sustainable,” especially as someone with a chronic illness.
The fate of the expired ACA tax credits remains unsettled in Congress, though officials said a three-year extension effort stalled last month. Democrats sought a three-year extension, and House Republicans did not back a bill that would renew the subsidies for that period, with Speaker Mike Johnson saying he would not take up such a measure.
Democrats then used a discharge petition to force a House vote. All Democrats and four Republicans signed the petition, reaching 218 signatures—enough to trigger a vote. The House was expected to hold a procedural vote on Wednesday afternoon, and if it cleared, lawmakers planned a final vote on Thursday, while the Senate was seen as unlikely to act because it previously blocked a similar effort.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, who hosted a virtual news conference earlier in the week, said she would support a one- or two-year extension if it revived the enhanced subsidies and showed movement in the Senate. She also said public pressure was necessary. “This pressure has got to come from public outcry,” DeLauro said Monday. “If the subsidies expire and cuts remain in place, we’re in the midst of our people in Connecticut … living through a cost-of-living crisis.”
CT Mirror reporters Katy Golvala and Mark Pazniokas contributed to this story.
This story was originally published by The Connecticut Mirror and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.