Oregonians who bought health insurance for 2026 through the state’s online marketplace on average paid 56% more than last year, with many shifting to lower-benefit plans to avoid higher premiums. Overall, 21,000 fewer people in Oregon enrolled in health insurance for 2026 through the online mar ketplace, according to the marketplace program’s annual report released today by the Oregon Health Authority. This year, 118,372 people enrolled for insurance through the marketplace, down from 139,688 in 2025. State officials blame the decline in enrollment in part on the “sticker shock” many Oregonians experienced as advanced premium tax credits decreased and monthly premiums increased, prompting some people to downgrade their coverage or drop out of the program altogether. Insurance exchange marketplaces like Oregon’s were created by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, to help people buy their own insurance if they don’t get it from an employer or a government program. That includes people who are self-employed, part-time workers, documented immigrants, and employees of smaller companies that don’t offer health insurance. Those who enrolled are paying on average $154 more each month for the coverage, depending on their income. This year, the average monthly premium is $426 after financial assistance, up from $272 in 2025. That financial assistance comes in the form of tax credits that reduce premiums.  Until this year, enrollees could qualify for an increased level of premium tax credits. The “enhanced” credits were adopted to address the pandemic, and helped expand coverage and lower costs. Congressional Republicans last year opposed efforts to extend the enhanced tax credits. The result was higher premiums for many enrollees, leading to reduced signups for coverage. The annual report offers some examples of how the expiration of the enhanced subsidies affected real people:  One person making $36,000 a year, or 225% of the federal poverty level, saw their annual premium increase nearly $1,600 — essentially shaving more than 4% off their yearly income..  Someone with an income of $72,000, or more than four times the poverty level, saw their yearly premium cost jump by more than $25,000 — constituting more than a third of their salary. More than half of the enrollees did receive some financial assistance in the form of tax credits, amounting to 40,000 fewer people than received help in 2025. Enrollment declined across all levels of coverage, known as “metal tiers” of gold, silver and bronze. Most people abandoned the richest option —gold — and the mid-level benefits of silver plans. Now more than half of those enrolled are on bronze plans, which have higher deductibles but lower monthly premiums. That means more out-of-pocket costs for routine and preventative health care until the deductible is met, or skipping that care altogether to save money. The average deductible for a bronze plan on the marketplace is nearly $7,500 — that’s $2,000 more than the next level down, according to KFF, a nonpartisan research group. A return to a state-based platform While many states have built their own websites to offer additional flexibility and control, Oregon continues to use the federal marketplace platform to process applications and enrollments.  Beginning in the 2027 enrollment year, however, the health authority plans to use its own state-based marketplace and platform to process enrollment. The state tried that approach before under the name Cover Oregon, using Oracle Corporation to build an insurance exchange website with a price tag of more than $300 million. It was a disastrous launch involving a failed online platform that could process neither enrollments nor mid-year changes in insurance status, leading to a Congressional investigation, a millionaire senator to be enrolled in the Medicaid program, and national media mockery. State officials say the exchange technology is more advanced now and other states have shown it can be done, essentially meaning they would have more ability to push back against federal restrictions and extend deadlines that reduce coverage. Last year, however, Oregon officials halted the procurement process because one of the state-hired reviewers turned out to be affiliated with one of the bidders. Health authority officials refused to divulge the reason for canceling the procurement — despite a state law explicitly requiring they do so publicly — until requests were filed under the Oregon Public Records Law. This article was republished with permission from The Lund Report, an independent nonprofit health news organization based in Oregon. Nick Budnick can be reached at [email protected]. STORY TIP OR IDEA? Send an email to Salem Reporter’s news team: [email protected]. The post Oregonians’ annual health premium costs jumped $1,800 appeared first on Salem Reporter. ...read more read less