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Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Despite the loss of federal subsidies that lowered costs for millions, California’s private health insurance marketplace held nearly steady this enrollment season. In all, 1.9 million Californians renewed their plan or selected one for the first time — a 2.7% drop compared to last year.
A closer look, however, shows that Californians are making concessions to afford staying insured.
More enrollees are opting for “bronze-level” plans. These plans have lower monthly premium costs but higher deductibles and copays; they cover 60% of medical expenses — leaving enrollees to pay the rest. One in three new enrollees chose bronze plans for 2026, compared to one in four last year, according to Covered California. And 130,000 Californians renewing their coverage switched from a silver or higher-metal tier plan to bronze.
“Many Californians see the value in remaining covered, but they had to make sacrifices and shift to lower-tier plans. We see it as a commitment to health and the value that Covered California provides,” Jessica Altman, Covered California’s executive director said in a statement.
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While bronze-level plans may offer people some peace of mind, the high deductibles and copays tend to discourage people from seeking care, said Miranda Dietz, director of the Health Care Program at the UC Berkeley Labor Center.
“Those out-of-pocket costs do impact people’s decisions to get care, so that’s worrisome as well,” Dietz said.
People earning above 400% of the federal poverty level — $62,600 for an individual and $128,600 for a family of 4 — no longer qualify for premium assistance after Congress chose not to extend the enhanced subsidies at the end of last year, pushing many to opt for plans with cheaper premiums or drop their marketplace plans entirely.
Of the 224,000 middle-income enrollees set to renew, 22% cancelled their plans, according to Covered California. New sign ups for people in this income bracket decreased by 59% compared to last year.
Because of the socialist state of Kal. I thought hard about renewing Blue Cross.
It hurt. Most likely I’ll be going to bronze star even though my gross income is over $100K. After reductions I am under $60K.
I am about to do a 1031 leave the State. When you have a controlling party that has run the state into billion dollar deficits, destroyed low end jobs with a ridiculous minimum wage, and more it is time for this middle class dude to get out of doge.
The Democrats are directly responsible.
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My sympathies. I lived in Kommiefornia for 56 years after moving to San Diego in the middle of 7th grade in January 1962. I watched it transform from near paradise to a crap hole over that time and made the decision to “move across the border” in 2018. I’m still self employed and even with that extra income it would have been economically hard to stay. If I had thought there was a chance for it to return to some level of saneness in my lifetime, we would have stayed.
Good luck