More people appear to be walking away from Affordable Care Act coverage or switching to cheaper plans for 2026 compared to this time last year, according to early enrollment data from several states.

State health officials in New York, Pennsylvania, Idaho, Colorado and California shared numbers from the first month of ACA open enrollment, which began Nov. 1 and runs through Jan. 15 in most states. Idaho opened two weeks earlier.

It’s too early to know whether the trend will hold, the officials said, noting that some people don’t finalize their plans until the final days of open enrollment — Dec. 15 for those who want their coverage to start Jan. 1. But the preliminary numbers could reflect signs of financial strain for people who can’t afford to pay hundreds of dollars more in monthly

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