YPSILANTI, MI — A local nonprofit organization that assists Washtenaw County residents with enrolling in healthcare insurance is reporting a decline in Affordable Care Act healthcare marketplace enrollments.
The Washtenaw Health Project reports they enrolled hundreds fewer county residents in the healthcare marketplace during the 2026 open enrollment period compared to last year.
The Ypsilanti-based organization attributes the drop to a surge in premium costs following the expiration of federal subsidies.
The Washtenaw Health Project assisted 551 people in enrolling in marketplace coverage for 2026, down from 804 the previous year. The 31.5% decline outpaced both state and national trends, they said.
Despite fewer enrollments, the Washtenaw Health Project recorded 1,735 client encounters during open enrollment, only slightly lower than last year.
Many residents sought help evaluating options but ultimately walked away unable to afford coverage, they said.
“This year, we spent just as much time helping people understand their options,” Executive Director Jeremy Lapedis said in a statement.
“Many families kept waiting for Congress to lower healthcare costs, but when that didn’t happen, they had to walk away because they simply could not afford coverage,” Lapedis said.
“One couple who paid nothing monthly for coverage in 2025 was quoted $1,409 per month for 2026, along with a $21,200 deductible. Their total potential yearly exposure now exceeds $38,000,” according to the Washtenaw Health Project.
“These are working families who did everything right,” Lapedis said. “But healthcare coverage that costs more than their monthly rent isn’t realistic.”
As of late January, there were 497,064 Michiganders enrolled in plans through the healthcare.gov marketplace — about 34,000 fewer than the same time last year, MLive previously reported.
Extended tax credits during the COVID-19 pandemic made more people eligible for reduced health insurance costs, but those subsidies from 2021 expired Dec. 31, 2025.
Federal lawmakers considered extending the subsidies or coming up with a replacement savings mechanism, but failed to reach an agreement, setting the course for higher insurance costs in 2026.
New eligibility restrictions included in H.R. 1, known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” bar permanent residents and work-authorized individuals earning under 100% of the Federal Poverty Level from subsidies, the Washtenaw Health Project pointed out. For 2026, the poverty line is $15,960 for a family of one and $33,000 for family of four.
The local decline reflects the disproportionate impact of subsidy changes on lower-income populations and immigrant communities in Washtenaw County, according to the organization.
“We are seeing people forced to choose between health insurance — accessing medical care and their prescriptions, essentially — and other basic necessities,” Lapedis said.
The Washtenaw Health Project provides enrollment assistance to approximately 8,000 county residents a year.
More information is available at WashtenawHealthProject.org or by calling 734-544-3030.
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