Record number of Washingtonians drop health insurance after loss of tax credits

After the U.S. Congress didn’t renew certain federal health-care subsidies last year, the number of Washingtonians ditching their health insurance has soared to “unprecedented” levels.

That’s according to the Washington Health Benefit Exchange, which announced Tuesday that nearly 13% fewer residents enrolled in a qualified health plan this year during open enrollment; close to 250,000 Washingtonians enrolled compared with more than 286,500 last year.

“There has not been a drop of this magnitude since Washington Healthplanfinder was launched in 2012,” the state’s exchange said in a May 5 news release.

The exchange, which operates the state’s health insurance marketplace, released the findings in a new report.

The 2026 spring enrollment report says that far fewer people signed up compared with last year than what was previously thought. Since open enrollment closed in January, new information about who’s paid for their coverage shows that about 14% fewer residents have enrolled than the initially reported number of 290,000.

Tara Lee, chief of communications for the Exchange, said many Washingtonians have seen their premiums double or triple after the recent expiration of federal enhanced premium tax credits and last year’s passage of H.R. 1, Congress’ sweeping tax-and-spending bill that made health-care program changes. Some people grappled with whether to forego coverage altogether.

“We know our state mitigation efforts have made a difference, and the coverage losses could have been greater,” Lee said in the release. “However, we anticipate that ongoing federal changes and mandates will continue to impact affordability and access.”

The exchange’s spring report says that before the expiration of the credits, enrollment numbers kept growing or stayed consistent throughout the year. The organization said it expects more residents to ditch their coverage.

Exchange data shows that Washington counties on average witnessed a 7% loss in the percent of qualified health plan enrollees, with rural counties hit especially hard.

In Thurston County, 6% fewer customers received advance premium tax credits this year compared with last, according to the spring report. There were 7% fewer in Pierce County, 11% fewer in Whatcom County, and 8% and 7% fewer in Benton and Franklin counties, respectively.

© 2026 The Olympian (Olympia, Wash.). Visit www.theolympian.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.