Approximately 1.4 million fewer people are enrolled in Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans compared to the same time last year in the face of higher premiums and expiring tax credits, according to new federal data.

of dataupdated Monday from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid services include those who signed up through Healthcare.gov through January 3 and those who signed up through the state-run ACA Marketplace through December 27.

last yearapproximately 24.2 million people had selected a plan through the Marketplace by this time last year, including 3.9 million new customers.

As of January 12, 22.8 million consumers selected plans, including 2.8 million new customers.

Deadlines in most states Get health insurance under the ACA It’s Thursday, January 15th.

Experts told ABC News that one reason is likely the expiration of ACA subsidies. Also known as premium tax credits, they help reduce or eliminate out-of-pocket monthly premiums for people who purchase insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace.

The subsidies were part of the original ACA passed during the Obama administration and were strengthened during the coronavirus pandemic to increase the amount of financial aid for those who were already eligible and expand eligibility to more people.

The majority of ACA Marketplace enrollees received enhanced premium tax credits to lower their monthly premiums, and many were preparing for premium increases in 2026.

Subsidies were a bottleneck in October and November. During the longest government shutdown in the history of the United States.

Republicans said the pandemic-era expansion was too much and tried to persuade Democrats to fund a temporary spending bill that would not cover expiring ACA subsidies, promising to discuss later how to continue them.

Democrats, meanwhile, pushed for an extension of the insurance premium tax credit as part of their bill to end the government shutdown, warning that its expiration could disadvantage millions of American families.

In early November, the Senate reached a bipartisan agreement to end the government shutdown, but that agreement did not include any of Democratic demands on health care. Eight Democrats voted with Republicans, and the bill was later passed in the House.

Sources told ABC News that Republican leaders promised in December to allow a vote on the ACA bill chosen by Democrats, but not on two competing health care bills. couldn’t move forward in the Senate earlier this month.

Earlier this month, the House passed a Democratic-led bill extending the enhanced insurance premium tax credit for three years.

estimate The Congressional Budget Office suggests that without an extension, total benchmark premiums (the price of a standard plan before federal subsidies are applied) could rise by 4.3% in 2026 and 7.7% in 2027 for marketplace plans.

a KFF analysis Last year’s study found that for people who buy insurance from the Marketplace and receive financial assistance, their premiums will rise by about 114% on average, from $888 in 2025 to $1,904 in 2026.